She tames the beast within
by deJean Smith
Summary: She only knows of a day-to-day existence. He only knows of life on a silver platter. She only knows contentment with what she has. He only knows the lust for more, and he has her in his sights. An expansion of my Twilight 25, round 9, exploration of the prompt, 'innocence.'
1. Chapter 1

**Full note at the end but for now, enjoy, and I only own the plot. Ms. Meyers owns the characters.**

Chapter 1:

_One night, long ago_….

Just as the sun began to rise, a young woman scurried about in the dark of a tiny, single room cottage deep in the dark woods, trying desperately to gather her few belongings without waking the man snoring softly from a pile of straw in the corner. At every chirp and snap outside, she froze for what seemed an eternity before ascertaining it was nothing and continuing her task. She was almost certain her pounding heart was loud enough to wake the dead from their slumber but as of yet, nothing stirred.

She shoved the last item into an oilcloth sack and heaved a great sigh only to clamp her hand over her mouth and stare wide-eyed over at the sleeping man who remained blissfully unaware of her doings. Looking around at the Spartan surroundings one last time, she tried to remember when this had been enough, but that seemed so long ago. Sure she had been happy and in love in this little space but somehow, some way, it had ceased to be enough. Bitterness and regret took root in her heart and started to grow and once it did, it refused to let go.

Then word came that an arrangement could be made and a better life could be hers if she would only be at the docks in time. The decision did not take long to make. Memories of more had flooded her brain when the message came and she had to accept-even when the caveat was placed that she came alone and immediately.

One last quick look around assured her that she had all of her worldly possessions as meagre as they were. It would be as if she had never existed, she thought, and that would truly be for the best. Cradling the bag to her breast, she took a step toward her freedom.

"Farewell, Charles," she whispered, lightly kissing her fingertips and waving them toward the sleeping man before quietly closing the door behind her.

No sooner had the door shut than the man rose up on one elbow, his eyes filled with the deep pain of one watching their reason for living walk out the door. He had known of her disappointment and he also well knew of her stubbornness. Once his wife's mind had been made up, nothing could sway her. At one time, that had been an endearing quality; now it only broke his heart.

"Farewell, Renee et ma belle," he murmured, falling back onto the dry straw in despair.

"Mmmmma!"

Charles started, uncertain his ears were functioning properly. Surely Renee would not have left…

"Mmmmaaa!"

The cry was more insistent this time.

Jumping to his feet, Charles bolted across the room to a small box and the source of the sound. His heart lifted as he gathered the small wiggling bundle into his arms. It took every ounce of restraint he had not to smother the babe in his arms.

"Mama's not here," he soothed, cradling his almost year-old daughter as if any moment she would vanish. "She had to go. I couldn't give her everything she wanted, ma belle."

A sob bubbled forth and nearly escaped the man's lips before he choked it back. He took only a moment to recompose himself and cleared his throat before speaking.

"I can only pray I'll be enough for you, ma belle Isabella."

Meanwhile, Renee carefully ran down the path leading away from her old home. The docks were not too far away, but in the foggy, early morning light, she needed to be wary of puddles and mud holes. Not knowing when or where she would meet the interested party, she wanted to look her best at all times.

She did not even cast a glance back at the tiny house. There was no use in it, after all. Her choice had been made, and she was not going back. She would rather die than spend one more night in amongst the squalor.

The surrounding woods blocked most of the sun on a clear day, but the low cloud cover created an even darker, damper atmosphere. Every sound seemed amplified in the oppressive silence and for a moment, Renee thought she heard footsteps.

Charles would be well within his rights as her husband to hunt her down and drag her back if he had a mind to do so. While he had never so much as raised his voice in all their years together, she was not willing to give up a dream of servants and fine clothes and quickened her pace. Escape was all that mattered to her.

A low laugh echoed through the trees. With eyes wide, the memory of long ago told tales of creatures prowling the woods flooded Renee's mind.

"Whither thou goest?" the very trees seemed to whisper.

Clutching her cloak tighter around her, Renee redoubled her efforts and ran even faster, now not caring that the hem of her dress was now soaked and caked with mud.

The fog broke as she crested a hill. She could see the lights of the nearby town and almost hear the ringing of the bells on the ships at the dock as they rose and fell with the waves.

"Just a little further," she murmured to herself.

"To where?"

Renee froze in her tracks as a young man came around one of the trees. He was of above average height with long, blond hair pulled back in a queue and smiled peacefully at her, but something about his appearance made her wary. His features were sharp and regal and for a moment, Renee wondered if this was who she was supposed to meet at the docks.

"Master of the Seas?" she asked quietly, noting his fine clothes. They were much like those her grandfather had worn.

"Master of all," he replied haughtily. "But I doubt that is what you were asking."

He moved to block her way.

"Pardon me, Sir, but I must be at the docks so please…" She ducked her head and tried to press on but to no avail.

He smiled broadly—as if he had been told the best of jokes and nodded slightly.

"Or, you could come with us," came a lilting woman's voice from directly behind Renee.

She spun around to face a woman with fiery red hair where she was certain no one had been just a moment before. Renee clutched her bag to her chest and began to murmur a prayer beseeching protection.

"Ah, now," came a third voice.

Renee turned to see a man with a swarthy complexion emerge from the mist. He watched her carefully, his red eyes taking in every movement.

"Let's not play with our food, James."

Renee's eyes widened as the three drew closer and her prayers grew more fervent until they were silenced forever.

**Greetings, my friends! I hope you enjoyed chapter 1 of my latest story, based on my Twilight 25, round nine entry for the word 'innocence.'**

**A little info:**

**I don't have a beta so please forgive any mistakes I make.**

**I don't have a banner for the story, sorry.**

**The story will post every Monday morning until complete (hopefully before I take the girls to school, but it's Monday. Morning.)**

**This story is influenced greatly by the original fairy tales…not the watered down all is light and roses ones. It's a different path for me, and I hope it works. Thanks for taking a chance on it. That said I'm still a HEA addict.**

**I'd love to hear what you think so drop me a line! I intend to answer every review so please be sure to log in.**

**DeJean**


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a note…those that got a teaser, I edited it just a little. See you at the end!**

Chapter 2:

Charles paused from chopping wood to look up at the canopy of trees above him. The leaves were changing quickly from summer's green to red and yellow. He stretched his back, feeling his spine pop in more than one place. Another round of birthdays had come and gone and with each one, a new set of aches and pains plagued him. With the rapidly approaching cooler weather, the days were getting shorter, and he did not have as much time to prepare for winter as he would have liked. Every year, the seasons seemed to change faster and faster.

He gazed at his surroundings, first taking in the small garden that was close to yielding its last summer produce. Then there was the empty pen; the animals were off foraging in the woods. Finally, he looked at his home; there was a hole in the roof that needed to be patched before the rains came and the front door required a little work, but the tiny cottage was neat and tidy.

Charles never expanded the house as he had promised Renee he would all those years ago. In fact, none of the plans the two of them had made ever came to fruition other than raising their daughter in a home filled with love. He smiled in pride of the young woman Isabella had grown into as he chopped another piece of wood.

Charles then realized something was missing from the house. Or rather, someone.

"Isabella!" he called, looking for his daughter.

When he received no answer, he called a second time.

"That child will put me in the grave," Charles muttered before bellowing his daughter's name yet again.

Over the sixteen years since her mother's abandonment, Isabella had grown into a healthy, curious young woman who continuously explored and learned about the world around her. Charles indulged her love of learning every chance he had as he had very little in the way of material goods to bestow upon her. Yet no matter how far she roamed or what she learned, she was always happy to return home, full of stories and questions for her father who answered as best as he could.

Charles smiled as he remembered the latest round of stories Father Cullen had provided for Isabella. Something called _Children's and Household Tales_ by the Brothers Grimm. Her eyes had been particularly bright as she excitedly retold the tales where all ended with a happily ever after—at least for the main character. As much as his fatherly heart would have wished for it to be, unfortunately, the outside world was not as righteous as Isabella liked to believe. Bad things happened to good people and evil did not always get punished.

And wives that abandoned their children did not always come back.

Charles heaved a great sigh before taking out his melancholy on another log as he waited on a response from his wayward daughter. But none came, and he began to get a little concerned.

Reports from neighbors of livestock gone missing only to be found drained of all their lifeblood circulated every now and again, and there was word that one of the villagers had found a woman's body not far from Charles and Isabella's home. She had been killed and buried in a shallow pit, but it was obvious the event had occurred years before so no investigation was conducted. As a result, Isabella could not travel her beloved woods without supervision, and at this particular moment, Charles did not know if she was with someone or not.

With a resounding 'thunk,' he set his axe into the stump and prepared to call again.

Finally a low whistle floated through the trees before the note rose at the end. Charles waited and three sharp whistles followed. He nodded and replied with two of his own before getting back to the task at hand, assured that if anyone could protect his daughter, it was her present companion.

Across the surrounding hills, a young woman sat on a stump with her back to a young man who at the moment was as naked as he had been the moment he was born.

"Took you long enough, Jacob," Isabella muttered. "My father just about called me home, and we haven't even seen the castle."

"Well pardon me, Princess," he grumbled. "Wolves don't whistle."

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against a tree, taking care not to scrape his backside in the process.

"And it's not a castle."

"It's bigger than anything I've ever seen." She began to rummage through a bag and found a small loaf of bread. After breaking it in half, she held one piece over her shoulder for her oldest friend.

"You haven't even seen this one." He took a huge bite of the bread and spoke around it, earning a disgusted sigh from Isabella. "And unless you show some patience, we won't be able to go to this one before we're due back home. The sun sets earlier and earlier each night."

Isabella silently munched on her snack and gazed out through the trees.

"Seth and the others said it was bigger than half the town."

"Seth and the others exaggerate a lot."

"They also said the castle has four stone towers and a moat."

Jacob shook his head. His cousins liked to spin yarns, and Isabella never forgot a single detail. He half wondered if they came up with such outlandish tales to keep her amused or to see just how far they could go before she called them on their lies.

"Charles won't let me go this far from home if I didn't have you, Jacob."

"That's because he worries."

She made a scoffing noise before picking up a rock and hurtling it into the woods.

"There's nothing here to be afraid of."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

She spun around on her rump and looked up at her friend, her eyes sparkling with the notion of adventure.

"You've seen something?"

"Bella!" Jacob quickly covered himself.

"Oh, Jacob…" She waved him off. "Not interested. Now tell me!"

Isabella wrapped her arms around her legs and looked hopefully up at him. Her eyes never strayed from his face. She truly had no more interest in his anatomy than she had of going home just yet, and the male pride in him was just a bit pricked at the idea.

"Turn around or I change, and you can't ask me questions when I'm a wolf." Jacob straightened up ever so slightly and tried to look confident rather than embarrassed. He thought of Bella, as he called her, as his little sister, but even little sisters didn't need to see their brothers naked.

"Arg!"

Bella grabbed the bag beside her, rummaged around for a worn pair of breeches and tossed them toward her friend.

"Leah is going to kill you for checking me out," Jacob teased, catching the pants in one hand.

Bella spun around on her rump again so he could dress without an audience.

"Leah knows you're nothing more than a brother to me."

"That doesn't mean she wants you measuring my goods."

Jacob pulled on the breeches and fastened them before sitting down next to her. Bella shuddered at the notion of '_measuring his goods_.' He had been her friend for as long as she could remember and the idea of thinking of him as anything other than a brother was incomprehensible.

And a little repulsive.

"You'll understand someday," Jacob said smugly.

Bella shook her head in fierce denial.

"From what I've seen, I'll be perfectly happy to stay with Father for the rest of my days."

"And when he's gone?"

"Then I'll be the old spinster auntie to yours and Leah's children."

Bella smiled in a self-satisfied way. She had her future all planned. Watching Charles live his days alone assured her that she could do the same, and she was quite certain that would be what fate had in store for her.

"Suit yourself," Jacob said with a shrug of his shoulders. "But I will tell you a cold night isn't quite as cold when you have someone to keep you warm."

Bella rolled her eyes. She had heard, but thankfully not seen, how Jacob and Leah kept each other warm when she and her father had gone over to help Jacob's father with a building project and had spent the night. She had innocently asked Charles who had been in pain during the night before and remembered how red his face had gotten when she described what she had heard. Before the midday meal, she had found herself pulled aside by one of the older women and given a rather biased lesson on male-female relations.

Bella still had nightmares over that talk, complete with crude drawings of voluptuous women and scrawny, poorly endowed men made with the end of a pipe in the dusty floor of Sue's home. The entire event was nothing she aspired to ever experiencing—especially after how Sue had described it. Pain and blood were not on her list of favorite things, and she could not imagine the experience was pleasant for the woman. But something did not quite add up when she compared what Sue had talked about to the tender smiles she had seen pass between Leah and Jacob or Father Cullen and his Esme or…

She shook her head to clear that line of thought out of her brain and to return to the task at hand.

"Speaking of cold, if we are going to make it back before dark, we need to get to the castle," she insisted, tossing the strap of her bag over her head.

Jacob shook his head before rising to his feet. He knew that once Isabella came up with an idea, there was little that would cause her to stray from it, so he offered his hand to assist her up which she gladly took.

"For the last time, Isabella, it's not a castle. It's just a big house. But come on. It's just over that rise."

She grinned broadly and began to march off toward the hill, turning back only when she realized he had not immediately followed her.

"Come on!"

"Fine, fine. Impatient." It didn't take more than a few long strides before he caught up to her, a smug smile gracing his lips as she grumbled about her short legs versus his long ones.

He was rewarded with the very mature response of her sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed, earning a smile in return as they continued to walk. Together they crested the hill.

Bella gasped as she stared at the clearing before her. A house, larger than anything she had ever seen, was nestled on a small rise, surrounded by trees with a well leveled road leading to the front. She was a bit disappointed that it was brick and wood, not stone and towers. And there was no moat to house the sea creatures she was certain would be there. However, it was a beautiful home nonetheless.

It had windows of thick glass that shone like the sun off the lake and the sight left her speechless for several minutes as she stared at the construction.

"Who do you think is building it?" Bella wondered aloud.

"No one really knows. No one has seen any workers, yet the house continues to rise. Paul said he heard the land was gifted by the king which made Sheriff Newton rather upset."

"Why?"

"You know how he feels about the woods."

Bella nodded. It was well known that the sheriff wanted everyone to move inside the town walls where they would pay higher taxes for his protection and the privilege of renting one of the many hovels he owned. Charles and William, Jacob's father, were part of a group that staunchly held to their small plots of land outside the walls.

'_Better to have little but it be your own than to appear to have a lot and it be someone else's_,' Charles had often said.

"So how did this happen?" She motioned toward the house.

"Gold is gold. Mike probably doesn't care as long as he is paid what he thinks he is worth."

"But how have they done it so quickly? This was nothing more than woods just a few months ago."

Jacob shrugged.

"Do you think it's magic?" she continued, a hint of awe in her voice.

Bella's mind raced as she thought of witches and wizards that might be coming to live in her part of the world. Her heart accelerated at the notion.

"I doubt it," Jacob said bluntly. "Unless witches and wizards use saws and hammers like the rest of us. I've heard the construction while hunting."

"Doesn't mean it's not magic," she muttered.

"You have too much faith in that nonsense."

"And you have none, wolf-man."

Bella crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her friend.

"Me shifting isn't magic. It just is."

"Wouldn't that depend upon your definition of magic? I can't do it … Charles can't do it. William can't do it. Just you."

"And Seth. And Leah."

"So there you go. You three are…"

"It's not magic."

Bella growled in frustration but knew her friend would not change his mind so she decided to change her course of action.

"Can we go closer?"

"Why? It's a house. A big house, but still just a house."

"It's not like anything I've ever seen before, Jacob! Can you imagine what it must be like to live in it?"

Jacob made a scoffing noise. "Can you imagine what it must be like to cut wood to heat the place? It must take a crew of twenty just to provide for a week."

"Imagine sitting in a chair in front of a fire and maybe having a book to read or having someone read it to you through a dark night."

Bella wrapped her arms around herself and hugged tightly, lost in thought.

"None of us are ever going to have lives like that, Isabella. That's just not what we are."

She slowly opened her eyes and looked over at her friend who was studying her with more than just a hint of pity.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But a little dream isn't going to hurt anything, Jacob."

"Bah. I have better ways of spending my nights than being read to. I can't read, and I have no desire to learn."

Incredulous that anyone could be of that mindset, she gazed at him silently in disbelief before spinning on her toes with a huff of frustration. Bella marched off toward the house to get a better look.

"Where are you going?" he demanded, running to catch up with her.

She didn't answer.

"Isabella?"

She continued on as if she had not heard him.

"You're going to get caught!"

"Doing what?" She stopped and spun around to give him her best glare. "I grew up in these woods. I played here. I hunted for food here. This is my home, and I want to explore a little more of it."

And with that, she turned and took off toward the house.

"Father told Charles it would cause nothing but trouble if you went to that school," Jacob muttered. "Should have married you off once your monthlies came."

Bella stopped dead in her tracks.

"What?" she whispered in a cold voice.

Jacob cursed himself for saying anything, but he was in for a penny in for a pound now. She had heard him and would hound him until she found out what he meant.

"Bella…"

She glared at him in response.

"That school Father Cullen started." He spoke with disdain, pronouncing _school_ like one would _infidel_ or _sewage_ or _over-cooked Brussel sprouts_. "It gave you ideas…"

"Of course it gave me ideas. What's wrong with thinking?"

"Isabella…."

"Don't you 'Isabella' me, Jacob Black. What is wrong with thinking? Or do you have a problem with a woman thinking?" She straightened up to her full height, which was still more than a head shorter than him, and glared up at him, her arms akimbo. She would almost be frightening had he not known her since childhood.

There was no right answer he could give that would calm her so he chose the wise path and held up his hands in defeat and kept silent even though he was certain there was no opportunity for her outside their woods regardless of how much worldly knowledge she might obtain.

Bella's fury was interrupted by the sound of an approaching carriage. Jacob grabbed her arm and yanked her back into the darker shadows of the forest.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, wiggling herself free from his grasp, but he held her tight.

"Just because there aren't guards doesn't mean we are exactly welcome here."

"And how do you know we aren't welcome? I've walked through these woods all my life."

"Things change. A house that big has got to have guards or servants or something. Until we are told we can, we probably shouldn't even be here." He loosened his grip enough to allow the blood to flow back to her fingers but held her back out of sight.

The two watched as the horses were pulled to a stop and the coachman leaped down from his perch. The door of the carriage was opened and a man and a woman in finer clothes than even the sheriff and his wife wore, emerged. It appeared the two were looking over the house with appraising eyes and then the surroundings, talking quietly to each other. The man's gaze then paused ever so briefly as he looked in their general direction. Jacob tensed for a moment, gripping Bella's arm as if he would pull her back even further into the darker part of the woods, but she was too mesmerized by what was going on before her to pay him any mind. The couple then turned to speak to the coachman before making their way into the house.

"That was close," Jacob hissed as the door closed behind the couple.

"Do you think they saw us?"

He shook his head even though he was uncertain.

"But I think we need to go."

Without hesitation, Jacob shimmied off the breeches he wore and instantly a wolf stood next to Bella, pawing the ground impatiently.

"Can't we get a closer look?" Bella pleaded. "Just a few more moments?"

The wolf lowered his head and shook it with a snort of derision. When she hesitated, he butted her in the leg with his shoulder to shepherd her toward home.

"But…"

He took a large chunk of her skirt in his mouth and tugged in the opposite direction she wished to go, nearly pulling Isabella off her feet.

"Fine, fine," she grumbled, casting one last look over her shoulder toward the house before heading away from the mansion. "You know you're just as annoying as a wolf as you are as a man."

Jacob growled before nudging her further away from the house.

As Bella and Jacob crested the first hill on their way home, a man, clad in clothes even finer than those worn by the couple that had entered the house, emerged from behind a clump of trees a few yards away. He silently watched the two as they marched off before turning toward the house and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

**~~She tames the beast within~~**

**I'm totally blown away by the reception this story has gotten! Thank you! And wow…y'all really did not like Renee!**

**I now have 2 Bs…a Beta and a banner! The lovely SunflowerFran has offered to beta for this story (though, I still fuss with chapters after I get them back, so don't blame her for errors I added), and the FicSisters made a banner for this story when they featured it as **_**One Hot off the Presses**_**. It. Is. Awesome!**

**I sent out teasers with my review replies and hope to continue that, so if you want one, please leave a review! Or just say 'heya!' I'll say 'hey' back and add the teaser, too. But, you must be logged in—I can't send one to guests, though I do appreciate the comments.**

**See you next Monday!**

**DeJean**

** dejeansmith on Twitter (not often, but sometimes I tease a little on chapters!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**SunflowerFran approved of this chapter…hope you do, too!**

Chapter 3:

_Edward, we know you're out there. You might as well come inside and be sociable. The longer you wait the more things Emmett might break._

He rolled his eyes at Rosalie's weak attempt at humor as he stopped running and watched Isabella and Jacob trudge home; he happily, her begrudgingly. A low growl rumbled in Edward's chest as he saw the wolf roughly shove her along, and he shook his head in disbelief at the sound. He had just laid eyes upon this girl… Woman. He wasn't quite sure just how old she was, but regardless, and he found he was not quite ready to let her leave his sight.

The notion was most perplexing to him. That he might find a human woman, barely out of childhood and with most certainly no formal education at all, of any interest to him at all was simply mindboggling to him. Perhaps the banishment had scrambled his brain just a little, he thought as he silently trailed behind the pair.

Edward kept his distance out of concern the wolf might scent his presence. But there was no need for him to be concerned. Jacob was focused on getting home and images of him and a woman filled his mind, some were particularly graphic, making Edward shudder and once again rue his ability to read minds.

Suddenly, Jacob paused, his nose pointed toward the air.

Edward froze in his place, preparing himself to fight if he needed to do so. Vampires and shifters of any sort were not on the best of terms, especially those that took on wolf forms.

Jacob sniffed the air loudly.

_Squirrel! Good eating._

Taking advantage of Jacob being distracted, Isabella turned around to get one last look at the _castle_ as she insisted on calling it. Edward could hear the questions going through her head at breakneck speed and was rather impressed by them as well as thankful for a reprieve from Jacob's lust-filled daydreams. Instead of the expected how much something had cost or how much gold might be hidden inside his new home, she wondered about architectural features and if there was a library. This Isabella, as he had heard the wolf-man call her, was not your typical pretty face.

And she was pretty. He had to admit that. Long, dark brown hair pulled back in a simple braid with a peaches and cream complexion and bright red lips. Her linen and cotton dress was well-worn and a little too short in length, barely reaching her ankles, telling him she did not have the means to replace it. The bodice was snug—pleasingly so in his opinion, with a few neatly mended tears in the fabric and a bright blue ribbon laced up the back that his fingers itched to untie.

A sharp whistle pierced the air, and Isabella sighed and hung her head for a moment as if she knew her time to explore was over. She quickly whistled back in response and let Jacob lead her home.

Edward wondered where she lived and with whom, and he entertained briefly the notion of following her.

_Edward, I'm serious. Get in here now. Emmett wants to find your music room._

With a deep sigh, he decided it best to return home to his unexpected guests if for no other reason than to send them on their way to anywhere else but here.

No sooner had the front door of the house closed behind him than it began.

"Lovely home you have, Lord Masen," the woman who had emerged from the carriage said properly, holding out one hand. "Or are you Lord Cullen this decade?" She raised one perfect eyebrow in question. "Duke? King? Prince? Crotchety old recluse who wishes nothing more than to be left alone? Or is that a perpetual state?"

"So glad you find all of this amusing, Rosalie," Edward replied equally as coolly, not accepting the hand presented.

Her face shone with a radiant smile as she turned away to admire her surroundings. If the glare she received from Edward bothered her, she did not acknowledge it in the least.

"Amazing what one can do with nothing but time on their hands what with you being banished from Volterra and all," she continued, making a show of inspecting the foyer.

Rosalie's elaborately brocaded dress whispered across the floor as her hips swung back and forth with each purposeful step. Her blonde hair pulled back in an elaborate bun shimmered in the late afternoon light that filtered through the windows. She paused for a moment to look at a small carving of a swan made out of ebony before she turned toward Edward and continued her exploration.

"Did you really have to kill Marcus in the town square? I mean, really. Yes, he was a crass, over-pompous windbag, and I'm sure he deserved it, but during the festival with the entire town around? Even that is a bit extreme. You're quite fortunate they didn't kill you in retaliation even after the townspeople's memories were changed. Carlisle must have been very convincing."

Marcus had deserved it, Edward thought. He had tried to insinuate himself into Aro and Caius' good graces just one too many times, and they were shallow enough to bask in the attention and flattery. That had to end so Edward ensured it did.

"They just sent me to the middle of fucking nowhere under orders to reform." He waved his hand toward the view outside, hating all the rurality of it all.

Edward missed the city with the variety of prey and pleasures at his fingertips as well as the never-ending entertainment available anytime. He wondered if he sent for Tanya, would she come or was she busy screwing his replacement with the Guard. Not that they had anything other than a physical relationship, but what a satisfying one it had been.

This godforsaken little slice of hell was silence after decades of music, and he was certain he was going to go insane before he was back in the Volturi's good graces. And now it appeared all of his 'family' was going to descend upon him in order to _aid _in his reformation.

Wasn't that just ducky.

"Well, we are here to ease the transition, dear brother," Emmett said with a huge grin and a slap on the back.

"Lucky me. Well, you can go back to wherever you were and report to Caius and Aro that I am well on the road to reformation."

"Oh, we aren't here for the Volturi's sake," Rosalie said over her shoulder.

"Then whose?"

"Carlisle and Esme asked us to be here," Emmett said with a grin.

Edward tensed at the knowledge that his maker, the one he had spent the first fifty years of his vampire existence with and had once considered his father had arranged this. And Esme. The woman who had treated him as a son and who claimed to love him even when he knew she would never have approved of the direction his life had gone.

"A little bit of this house, a little bit of that one," Rosalie observed, making a full turn around the foyer. "Almost an homage to everywhere we've lived as a family. Esme will be pleased."

Edward bit his tongue, not wishing to argue because that would only result in them tarrying longer. Any familiar architectural similarities to prior residences were purely coincidental. Or so he told himself.

"How long are you staying? Or more appropriately, when are you leaving?"

"Now is that any way to greet your family?" Emmett asked in a teasing tone, the dimples in his cheeks appearing.

"Just the ones who unexpectedly move in, Emmett. How should I react? And yes, your furnishings arrived yesterday, and no, I did not unpack them. They are still in their crates on a cart, awaiting your departure."

"We figured Alice would tell you since she knows all, sees all, and tells all." Emmett wiggled his fingers as if casting a spell, a devilish grin on his face, earning a disgusted scoff from Edward.

"That would require him actually being around to listen," Alice said as she descended the stairs with a light bouncing gait. "He is either sending us out to find this or that or what not or sulking in the attic. Good to see you two."

"You knew about this?"

Alice smiled beatifically and nodded as Edward pouted even more, grumbling choice words under his breath.

"Or was it that lovely little thing and the wolf that were up on the hill that has you forgetting your manners?" Rose inquired after giving her sister a hug.

Edward swallowed the curse that threatened to escape his lips. He had hoped his 'siblings' had not seen Jacob and Isabella.

"You forget Edward here has never had manners, my dear," Emmett teased. "Being in the Guard did away with any remembrances of his humanity no matter how hard Carlisle and Esme tried."

"Are you quite finished enumerating my many faults?" Edward asked churlishly.

"Probably not, but we're here for the duration."

Emmett chuckled at the eye roll he received. He did so enjoy teasing his younger 'brother,' and there was a time, not so long ago, that the relationship was mutual.

"What lovely little thing?" Alice asked, looking out the window as if she could see what they were talking about.

"Some curious girl wanting to see the castle," Edward muttered, throwing his hands up in frustration and heading into the library. "Her and her shape-shifting companion were outside watching the two of you arrive."

"Castle? What castle?" Emmett asked anyone who would listen as they followed Edward.

"This house," Alice explained. "It's the biggest thing around so surely others think it's a castle. I told him to be a bit more subtle, but he didn't listen. Not that he ever does."

After years in the Volturi compound, it was difficult to imagine being cramped in a normal sized house even if it was merely window dressing. Edward had collected many beautiful acquisitions during his hundred years of existence, and he was not about to trust them to anyone in Volterra until his return.

And he was certain he would return. Aro needed his talents and it would only be a manner of time before they called him back to where he deserved to be.

"And others will be just as curious as your furry visitor and his friend," came another voice of reason from the second floor landing.

Emmett, Rose, and Alice all turned toward the stairs as a lanky, blond-haired man slowly descended.

"Jasper! Good to see you!" Emmett declared with a grin.

He nodded in acknowledgement of the greeting before motioning toward the library where Edward was sprawled across a high-backed chair, staring at a particularly interesting knothole in the wood floor.

"What I find most interesting is our brother here made no argument about the spy being a pretty little thing," Jasper observed.

"She's not a spy," Edward muttered. "She was just curious as to a new building. Now that she's seen it, she won't return."

Not that Edward believed that in the least but he hoped his nonchalance would convince the others to leave it alone.

"Really now?" Emmett chuckled before somewhat bounding into the room. Excitement at the notion Edward was showing interest in someone other than himself rolling off him. "So just how pretty is she, Edward?"

"I barely saw her," came the muttered reply as Isabella's face filled his memory.

"Liar!" Alice cried with a squeal before she groaned and glared at Edward, who had quickly changed his thoughts from the girl to what furnishings should fill the third bedroom.

She blinked her eyes a few times before they focused on a point far, far away.

"That never gets old," Emmett said, falling on to a red velvet divan with just enough grace that the wood merely creaked but did not break. "So what do you see, Alice?"

Alice remained silent for a few minutes, her brow furrowed as she waited for the rest of the vision to play out in her mind. As suddenly as it began, it ended, and she clapped her hands excitedly.

"So which rooms do you want them in, Edward?" she asked with a grin. "They need to get settled before you go see Carlisle tomorrow."

"I'm not going to see Carlisle tomorrow," Edward said adamantly, glaring at the empty fireplace.

"You will if you want to see your Isabella."

**~She tames the beast within~**

**Quick note…The next chapter may be a little late. I'm going to try my best to have it ready for next Monday, but I'm single parenting it this week while DH is out of the country. He apparently took my muse with him to Mumbai, so even though I have it all outlined out, the words are not coming. Maybe once the girls go back to school, they will. *crosses fingers***

**Thank you for your wonderful alerts and reviews. They mean the world to me.**

**I will do a teaser again with reviews or PMs asking for one so show me some love, please!**

**DeJean**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the good vibes! The muse spoke.**

**I don't own the characters, but I do own a bag of cinnamon bark and a gorgeous heart-shaped gold bookmark from Mumbai. DH knows me so well.**

Chapter 4:

The town bustled with life in the early morning hours. Although there was the crispness of fall in the air, the sun shone brightly on the horizon, promising plenty of activity. People began setting up stalls with their sundry products—fruits, vegetables, clothes, cooking vessels, and more. If you could make it, it could be found here and bartered for today. It was crowded, loud, and exciting, and Isabella loved every minute.

"Are you certain?" Isabella asked as her father plopped down onto the small stool he had brought from home. She tried her best to conceal her excitement, but she knew her father could tell.

Market day meant they brought whatever extra produce they had harvested as well as an assortment of carved wooden implements Charles had crafted. After she gathered the few items they needed from other vendors, Isabella would explore what rare treasures had been brought in by the few ships that visited the port. Often she came home with a little trinket she had bartered for, as well as several stories to tell.

When she was a middling child, Charles worried less about her going off on her own. There were always enough people milling about and he had no fear of her being abducted or accosted. But now that she was a blooming young woman, he grew concerned about her catching someone's eye or the possibility of someone catching hers. He heaved a great sigh as he realized she might very well find that special person to spend the rest of her days with and leave him, sooner, rather than later.

"Father?"

Charles shook away the thought and smiled thinly at his daughter who was fairly vibrating with excitement.

"You can go to the church and see if Father Carlisle has time for you today. Do not be a bother."

"When am I a bother?" she demanded, bowing up to her full height.

Charles laughed at his little fighter, earning a grin in return.

"Every chance you get, Isabella. Your curiosity is why I love you so."

She giggled and bent over to place a quick kiss on her father's cheek before running through the crowded street. Charles watched her flit in and out of sight until she rounded a corner.

"Lovely girl."

Charles looked over to see the _Honorable,_ red-faced and overweight, Sheriff Michael Newton. Keeping his emotions entirely neutral, Charles gazed up at the man who at the moment was puffing as if he had run a sprint. Without a thought, Charles stood and offered his seat to the man who took it, ignoring the wood creaking in protest.

"She is."

"Marriageable?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Michael paused to catch his breath before waving a hand in the direction Isabella had dashed.

"Your daughter…Istanbul, is she of marriageable age yet?"

"Isabella?"

"You have more than one daughter?"

Charles paused, closed his eyes, and silently counted to three before responding. A champion among quick minds Michael Newton was not.

"I have one daughter, and she is named Isabella. I didn't think your sons were of marrying age yet."

The sheriff had three sons, one by each of his wives. Based off his memory, Charles ascertained the oldest could not be over ten years old by now.

Michael shook his head, the redness fading somewhat from his flushed face.

"Not for them. For me."

"For you? Do you not think your wife might have something to say about this?"

"Well, considering she fell off a horse this morning and broke her neck, I doubt she will have much to say about it at all. So, I am in the market for a new wife."

Charles looked down at the chap who reminded him more of a bullfrog than of a man. His wife was barely cold and certainly not even in the grave yet, and he was already hunting for a new one? It boggled Charles' mind.

"Didn't your last wife break her neck falling off a horse? And the one before that?"

Michael scowled up at Charles, his already beady eyes narrowing.

"'Tis not my fault if I marry clumsy twits that cannot maintain their seat in the saddle."

Charles stared at Michael for a few moments, gathering his thoughts before continuing.

"Of course not," he finally said, bowing his head slightly.

But that did not mean Charles was about to have his only daughter marry the man.

"So do I have your permission to court her?" Michael asked, pulling Charles out of his internal musings.

"Isabella has the right to speak to whomever she desires, but I would not be surprised if you find her less than receptive."

Michael blinked mutely; amazed that anyone would dare think to reject his advances. He gathered himself quickly.

"I'm sure she will be most receptive to what I have to offer."

Michael held out one hand expectantly so Charles could help heave him off the stool and to a standing position. After a few tries, and with the added assistance of the fishmonger next door, the sheriff was brought to his feet. He straightened his clothes before giving a perfunctory nod toward those around him and slowly waddled up the lane in the direction Isabella had gone.

"Lord help the one that is foolish enough to wed that one," the fishmonger muttered before returning to his wares.

Charles silently agreed as he watched the sheriff disappear in the crowd.

**~SHTMW~**

The Reverend Carlisle Cullen sat at his desk in the corner of a little wood and stone church near the edge of town, writing his latest homily that would be presented the following Sunday. He had no need to do so since he had a perfect vampire memory, but there was something comforting about the scratch of a quill on parchment. So out of habit more than anything else, he continued to write the words. You see, there were a few rather nosy parishioners that liked to know what the sermon was going to be about to determine whether or not they would be in attendance. This is why The kindly Reverend wrote them down and left them in a place where they could be easily found.

A soft click caught his attention, and he paused and listened for a moment before laying down his quill and closing the lid on the inkwell with a satisfying clink of metal on glass.

"I wondered when Alice would send you," he murmured. Turning in his seat he faced a figure clad in a dark, woolen robe, hood raised, much like those of a friar from a long gone age.

"No one sends me, _Father_."

Carlisle tsked at the vitriol in the term.

"At one time, you did not seem to mind calling me such, my son."

"And at one time…" Edward threw back the hood in frustration, growling as the memories that were once tightly packed away became unraveled. "At one time you tried to rule my every move."

"I tried to guide you…"

"To be exactly like you! But as you can see, I'm not. I never have been, nor will I ever be!"

Carlisle gazed at Edward, studying his face as if trying to be the mind reader in the room. A slow smile crept over his face as he saw the golden eyes that glared down at him.

"You took some lessons to heart," he finally said, standing as if to greet Edward with a hug.

The younger man took a step back, his hands raised defensively.

"That was my own choice," Edward insisted.

"Of course it was."

"It's so much easier to enjoy one's meal when it isn't pleading for its life, even when its vocal chords have been crushed."

"Of course," Carlisle did little to hide the amusement in his voice, earning a stronger glare from his company.

"I didn't come here to argue my dietary choices."

"Then why did you come? You said Alice didn't send you, but I would have visited you in your 'castle.'"

Carlisle leaned back to sit on the edge of his desk with a smile. The entire town was talking about the mysterious home so far away from the protection of the sheriff and his guards. Most townspeople found the woods to be a dark and dangerous place after all.

"Actually, I have to check in on you. Part of your reformation."

"Reformation," Edward spat out. "I did nothing wrong, and yet here I am. Banished to…"

"Father Carlisle?" A young woman's voice lilted through the sanctuary.

Carlisle turned toward the door and waved Isabella to enter.

"Father said I could visit if it would not be a bother, so I…" Isabella's voice trailed off when she realized they were not alone.

"This is an old friend of mine, Isabella," Carlisle said, raising an eyebrow when he realized the hood had been pulled up once again.

With his head bowed, only Edward's hands were visible, bestowing a rather ominous presence. Isabella was unsure whether to remain or run fast and far away.

"Oh! Well, if you have company, I don't want to intrude." She began to back away but stopped when Carlisle held up his hand.

"We have plenty of time for a visit." Carlisle smiled broadly as he motioned toward a nearby pew.

He had a particularly strong affection for Isabella; she was not like any of the other young women in town. While the others were off and about, attempting to find husbands, she showed no interest in such games. Isabella would much rather learn something new about the world around her than to worry about what color ribbon to wear in her hair. Of course, that was a moot point for her because she only had a blue one, but that was neither here nor there.

Casting a wary look at Edward as he silently walked toward the small pump organ in the far corner, Isabella made her way over to a pew and sat down.

"Is it alright for him to touch that?" she whispered, earning a secret smile from both men, although she could only see Carlisle's.

"Oh, yes," he assured her in the same whispering voice as he took a seat next to her. "He has a gift for music."

The two watched as Edward quickly assessed the stops and keys, making a few adjustments before he began operating the pedals. He cautiously touched a key to test the tonal quality before pausing, head lowered as if in prayer.

And then he played.

Isabella had never heard anything quite as magical, quite as wondrous as the sounds that filled the small sanctuary. She sat, wide eyed and open mouthed as Edward's performance transformed the little church into one of the largest cathedrals in the world—or at least in her mind. Although he was partially blocked from view, she could tell he never stopped moving, his hands flew over the keys, pulling and pressing the stops, his legs continuously operating the pedals. Isabella chanced a glance at Carlisle to see if he was enjoying the music as much as she, revealing her eyes brimming with tears.

"I told you," he whispered with a reassuring smile and a comforting pat on the hand.

"I've never heard anything so beautiful!"

She turned back toward the performance, her body vibrating with rapt anticipation of what she would hear next.

As the last notes of the piece faded in the air, Isabella sat in stunned silence. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. She rapidly wiped away the tear that streaked down one cheek as she leapt to her feet to congratulate Edward on his magnificent performance.

"That was absolutely…" she began.

"Oh, thank God that caterwaul is over with," a loud voice from the back of the sanctuary shouted.

Isabella spun around to see the self-righteous sheriff strutting down the center aisle of the church, his boots clicking on the stone floor.

"Honestly don't know how we aren't all deaf after that display," Michael continued. He stopped at the edge of the pew where Carlisle and Isabella stood. His eyes raked over her figure appraisingly and his face took on a self-satisfied smirk.

Isabella opened and closed her mouth a few times, gawping like a codfish, as her face grew redder and redder. She clenched her fists at her sides, her short nails digging into her palms.

A loud crashing noise brought everyone's attention toward the front of the church where the ornately carved baptismal font lay on its side next to where Edward stood, fury rolling off of him in waves. Carlisle rapidly moved toward him and grabbed his arm, securing him in place.

_Don't._

"You don't hear what he's thinking," Edward murmured, too low for anyone other than Carlisle to hear. Michael's mind was filled with images of Isabella pleasuring him in various and sundry ways.

"What?" Michael demanded haughtily. "Surely, I am not the only one with sensible taste in music."

"That was the most amazing thing I have ever heard!" Isabella exclaimed, her voice getting louder and higher as she spoke. "How can you even…"

"Enough," Michael said in a bored voice, waving off her concerns. "I did not come here to waste my time arguing. I came here to ask when you wanted to be wed."

Isabella stared at him in shock, unable to answer or even process the question correctly.

"Wed?" she finally whispered.

"Your father gave his permission. We have the church," Michael waved one chubby hand around the room. "We have the priest. We are here."

"I'm not marrying you," Isabella announced, her voice firm. "I cannot believe my father would agree to such."

"And what other option do you have? You're not getting any younger, Istanbul."

Edward took a threatening step toward Michael as Isabella frantically shook her head. The fact Michael used the wrong name had been completely lost in her confusion. Carlisle pressed one hand to Edward's chest to hold him back.

_Let it play out. Let her handle this. Isabella is stronger than what you might be accustomed._

Edward did not feel the need to let him know he had already become acquainted with how stubborn Isabella could be.

"I have absolutely no desire to marry you."

"What does desire have to do with it? I have three children that need a mother."

"You're married."

"Not as of dawn this morning. Twit fell off a horse and broke her neck."

Isabella stared at him, horrified that his wife had just passed, and he wished to replace her so soon.

"You have no prospects, and I can provide you with everything you need," Michael continued, oblivious to her mortification.

"And what do you know about what I need? Do you know anything about me at all?"

"I can learn that after the marriage."

"Oh, I do not think so."

"As my wife you will not need to think."

Isabella stared at him in horrified silence before taking a deep breath, calming herself. She relaxed and let her heart rate lower.

"Sheriff Newton," she said in a low, sweet voice. "I appreciate the offer, and I am certain you will find the perfect woman, but I am not her, nor will I ever be, so I will respectfully decline."

And with that, she spun on her heel and made a hasty exit.

~STTBW~

**Run, Bella, run!**

**Again, thank you to the wonderful SunflowerFran for her assistance in making my words prettier.**

**And thank you for reading.**

**Reviews (or even just a pm asking for one) get teasers, so let me know what you think!**

**DeJean**


	5. Chapter 5

**A special thank you to the FicSisters, SunflowerFran, and MidnightCougar and Teh Lemonade Stand for their promotions of this story. I am so grateful for their sending readers my way.**

**Important note at the bottom. Please read!**

Chapter 5:

Sheriff Newton stared blankly at the open door Isabella had dashed through in her haste to leave the church. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected her to turn him down. After all, Isabella was approaching old maid status at the ripe old age of eighteen, so surely she should be concerned. Her contemporaries were already on a second or third child by now. Surely, she had to realize her chances of finding someone willing to 'take' her were greatly diminishing.

Perhaps she had run off to gather her emotions; the euphoria that had engulfed her when he had consented to marry her and save her from a desolate life of solitude had been too much. That had to be it. The twit would be wedded and bedded before sunset.

Realizing he was not alone, Michael straightened to his full, unimpressive height, puffed out his chest, and hiked up his sagging britches, completely oblivious to the stitches that popped under the strain.

And to the low growl that came from under the heavy woolen robe.

"She just wanted to go make herself presentable," Michael muttered before stomping toward the doors of the church. "We will return anon."

The sheriff paused as an idea struck him which was not a particularly common occurrence.

"I will be at the Twilight Moon, enjoying my midday meal. Send for me when the chit shows up."

With a twirl and a wave, he left the church.

Rage flared through Edward. There was no possible way he was going to allow this lump of a man to take what was his. He took one step toward the door before a hand on his chest stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Carlisle asked calmly.

"That … He … No …"

Carlisle studied his son curiously. He had never seen Edward unable to finish a thought. Something was amiss.

"The sheriff desires a new wife," he murmured in a low, soothing voice. "He has the right to pursue who he wants. We don't interfere with the ways of humans."

"That's not just any human," Edward muttered between clenched teeth. He flung a pointed hand toward the door Isabella had exited. "That one is mine."

"Yours?"

"Mine."

"We don't own anyone, Edward. Care to explain what you mean?"

Carlisle crossed his arms and silently waited for a logical response.

"I don't have to explain anything. To you or to anyone."

Before Carlisle could react, Edward disappeared. He had always been the fastest runner in the family. No one could even hope to follow when Edward wanted to escape.

Shaking his head, the reverend turned back to his sermon and murmured a quiet prayer that his hot-headed son would not do anything rash.

The noontime hour was rapidly approaching, and it was part of his routine to appear to go home for a meal. Carlisle gathered a few things and after securing the church doors, headed down the dirt alley to the parsonage. He smiled as he realized his wife was not alone at home.

"Sugar with your tea, Isabella?" Esme asked, her voice floating through the closed curtains of the parsonage kitchen and down the alley as he approached.

"You really didn't have to fix me anything, Mrs. Cullen."

Carlisle smiled as he pictured Isabella sitting in one of the two chairs at the small table before the kitchen fire; her feet barely reaching the floor as they swung back and forth as they often did when she came to visit his wife.

"Now how many times have I asked you to call me Esme? Besides, it would be poor manners not to have a little something to sip on when company arrives. Though you are much more than company, my dear. Now, tell me."

Carlisle heard a chair scrape across the floor as Esme took a seat.

"What is it that has you in such a state?"

He heard the tale-tell sound of Isabella slurping her first sip of tea and the happy sigh she always made.

"'Tis nothing."

"Isabella." Esme's voice took on the tone of a mother who did not believe for an instant the lie she had just been fed.

Carlisle took the opportunity to enter the kitchen. He removed his coat and hung it on a hook before leaning down to kiss his wife on the cheek as the two exchanged pleasantries.

Isabella smiled wistfully at the loving display before her. She often wondered what her parents' relationship had been like. Had they been loving and affectionate toward each other or did they hate the sight of one another? Did they talk of dreams or did they yell of promises unfulfilled? Charles had remained very tight-lipped about Renee, telling Isabella that her mother had not returned from a voyage to see her homeland and that no one knew what had happened. Oh he often told her how she got her dark brown hair from her mother's side, and how much she favored Renee, but Isabella still wondered what it would have been like to grow up with both of her parents.

"Are you all right, Isabella?" Carlisle asked quietly as he took the seat his wife vacated for him.

"I will be just fine, Father Carlisle."

He gave her a look that told her he did not believe her at all, which caused her entire body to deflate.

"It is just…I had the most wonderful experience I've ever had in that church …. No offense to your preaching, but that music … it was …" Her eyes took on a faraway look as she remembered the organ melody and how it transported her to a place she wasn't even sure she had ever dreamed of visiting. "And it was so closely followed by the most horrible marriage offer ever."

"Marriage?" Esme exclaimed, looking between Isabella and Carlisle. "My dear, I did not even know you were courting."

Isabella shook her head frantically.

"Oh, no. No courting, no marriage. No thank you."

"Who?" Esme looked over at her husband after Isabella's eyes dropped to her lap where her fingers were nervously tugging on her apron.

"Sheriff Newton," Carlisle said quietly, taking Isabella's hand in his as his wife threw her hands over her mouth in shock. "Isabella, unless you say otherwise, I will not marry the two of you."

"Oh, thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged tightly.

"I cannot believe Charles gave permission for you to marry Sheriff Newton," Esme said in disbelief.

"I am not certain he did," Carlisle said.

"But the sheriff said…"

"He said your father gave permission, but he never said for what."

"Why that…" Isabella's eyes narrowed as she tried to think of the worse insult she could before Carlisle placed one finger over her lips to silence her.

"You never know who is listening, Isabella," he murmured, nodding toward the window. "But, yes. I agree."

"I need to talk to my father."

"That sounds like the wisest thing to do."

"Immediately."

"The sheriff has gone to the inn to eat his midday meal. You should be able to make it back to your father before he is finished."

Isabella giggled and grinned impishly.

"From what I've seen, I can walk home before he finishes. Thank you," she said before bobbing a quick curtsey.

Isabella spun around and headed for the door before stopping and turning to face Carlisle and Esme.

"And, Father Carlisle?"

"Yes, Isabella?"

"If that friend of yours ever decides to play again, please let me know."

"I will do my best."

Her face lit up with an enormous grin, and with a wave, Isabella skipped out of the parsonage and down the street to where Charles remained.

"What friend?" Esme asked, clearing away the cups and saucers.

"Edward was at the church," Carlisle replied, peering around the curtain to watch Isabella until she rounded a corner.

"He was? And he played the organ?"

It had been decades since either of them had heard their first-made son play.

"And … He has claimed Isabella is his."

"His?" Esme's eyes grew wide at the implications the statement held.

"Yes."

"Now whatever does he mean by that?"

"I'm not certain, but it certainly bears looking into for both Edward's and Isabella's sakes."

**~STTBW~**

**Small announcement—this chapter was a bit shorter than I like because I am chaperoning an overnight music department field trip this week …**

**Of 8****th**** graders (ie., 13 &amp; 14 year olds)**

**On a motor coach.**

**To Disney World.**

**Heaven help me. I'm excited and terrified at the same time.**

**So…I wanted to keep to the weekly publishing schedule, and it was either 1 long chapter and a 2 week break or 2 short chapters and keep to the plan. I chose to keep to the every Monday plan.**

**Chapter 6 has already been sent to my fabulous beta, SunflowerFran so barring any major re-writes, I should be able to publish next Monday like clockwork.**

**The main downside is because I will be away from a computer from Wednesday afternoon through early Sunday morning, I may not be able to send out a teaser or respond to reviews. I will try my best to catch up, but next Sunday is Mother's Day, and I plan to be taken out for a nice rib lunch and go see the latest Avenger's movie. And probably take a nap. LOL!**

**Again, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It means the world to me.**

**DeJean**


	6. Chapter 6

**I survived! I'm pooped, but I survived! LOL…more at the end.**

Chapter 6:

From the rooftops, Edward watched Isabella wend her way through the crowds toward her father's spot in the marketplace. As she wove in and out, talking with people she knew and even a few she did not, he listened in on the internal ramblings of those she came in contact with. Some had known her since she was a small child, and he could see their memories of a little girl with dirt on her face and messy hair. She was the one who always seemed to have a question or twelve to ask about what they were selling and where they had come from. Even when they pretended to be annoyed, there was a bit of pride the vendors felt when someone cared to ask about their mundane lives, and when that same person listened intently, it grew.

Another surge of anger overcame him when he saw images of her with bandages on her hands and arms. He calmed when he saw her trip over thin air and realized it was all part of her being human.

Human.

Edward found himself bewildered by the fact that he was obsessed with the life of a human, but something pulled him toward her. She fascinated him in ways he had never experienced. He found himself wanting to know everything; her likes and dislikes, her moods…Her everything.

The tiny niggling thought that he was beginning to behave like Jasper or Emmett or Carlisle was quickly tamped down. The ribbing he would receive if any of them ever found out he entertained such thoughts would be interminable. They might even construe his behavior as him having feelings for her.

He didn't, he insisted to himself, shaking his head vehemently at his inner monologue. She was nothing more than a pretty, shiny object. When he saw a piece of art he wanted, he obtained it by any means necessary. She was nothing more than that—something to be collected and put away; something that no one else could possess. Edward saw her, wanted her, and he would have her. And woe be to the one that stood in his way.

Edward growled as he pictured the honorable Sheriff Michael Newton. The sound startled a flock of pigeons that had roosted nearby, sending them cooing and flapping into the sky. He was going to have to figure out a way to remove the sheriff from the picture and without killing him. Murdering Sheriff Michael Newton probably would not get Edward back into the Volturi's good graces and that was his primary concern.

He missed Volterra and its many pleasures. There he had been revered as a god, celebrated, and his every whim catered to with the utmost haste. But mostly he was left alone for they feared his gift of mind-reading. He did not miss Aro …, Caius …, or Alec, or Jane or… Edward mentally listed the other members of the Guard and realized he was not saddened to be parted from any of them. Yes, they all shared a common goal and presented a unified front to maintain their rule, but no one rose to the forefront of his mind as a friend.

Here in his banishment, he was subjected to the teasing and cajoling of his adopted brothers and sisters much as he had been the first fifty years of his life as a vampire. A group of more disrespectful louts, you would be hard pressed to find.

He hated it.

Or so he tried to convince himself.

After a moment, Edward peered over the rooftop edge to find Isabella chatting with a butcher who was trying his best to sell her a venison haunch.

"Thank you, no," Isabella murmured softly, wistfully fingering the few tiny coins she had in her pocket. They were to be used to purchase a measure of cloth to add a gusset to her skirt and top, thus increasing their size to fit better, but she had yet to make it to the shop.

In her mind, Isabella thought of the last time Charles and she had enjoyed venison. Perhaps he would find one when he went hunting soon. Isabella remembered the mess of butchering the last deer, of the blood running down her hands and staining her dress. It had taken quite a bit of scrubbing to fade the stains down to where they were almost unnoticeable. She unconsciously scratched at a small remainder on her sleeve.

Edward became mesmerized as Isabella's mind filled with the memory of carefully removing the skin before her father and William prepared it for tanning. She and Jacob set about carving away the tendons and sinew from edible muscle and placing them on a smoking rack. By the time the job had been completed, she had looked down at her hands and found every bit of skin uncovered by sticky, dried blood.

Edward swallowed hard; tightness grew in his chest … and lower, as the image played over and over in his own mind now. He slumped down into a kneeling position on the roof as he tried to regain control of himself. Being a vampire, he would never be able to forget the memory he had seen, and he closed his eyes to savor every second.

_You missed some, Jacob had said. _

_Isabella looked down and saw nothing on her hands, now red and raw from the cold stream water._

_Your face. You must have wiped…_

_Jacob's hand came up and swept across her cheek and jaw, dangerously close to her mouth._

Isabella's thoughts were interrupted by shouts from people across the street. The idea of blood so close to her mouth aroused Edward a great deal, and he had lost control of his emotions. A large stone had borne the brunt of his passion and was crushed into a shower of smaller rocks that cascaded to the ground, thus scaring the crowd. He knew if he were to glance in a mirror, his eyes would be black as coal.

The sound of someone approaching brought his attention back to his surroundings. He whipped his head around in the direction of the intruder, gnashing and baring his teeth with a threatening growl.

"Hello, brother mine," Alice piped up in an entirely too chipper voice.

"God…" Edward hissed, glaring up at the diminutive vampire now standing beside him.

"Careful there, Edward. You're still in earshot of Carlisle's church." She smiled beatifically down at him. "Did you enjoy meeting your future?"

"Who?" he roughly spat the words at her.

"Miss Isabella Swan. Carlisle and Esme speak so highly of her."

"She's not my future, Alice, and I believe you already know the answer to the rest of your inane line of thought."

"Oh, but she is very important to you." She held a hand out for him. "And she is going to be quite good for you."

"You're full of shite, Alice."

"I don't think so," she sang teasingly. "Come now, we need to get you back home before you're found. You've already caused quite a stir in town."

"I'll leave but not because you said I should."

Alice paused and got that far away look once again. She nodded and smiled.

"Fair enough. And a lovely gesture."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"I'm sure you don't. And yes, I know where she lives."

Together the two carefully left town in route toward Edward's home. But not before he went hunting and left a freshly drained deer hanging from a tree outside Charles and Isabella's modest home.

**~STTBW~**

**Thank you for all the well wishes for my trip—we had a ball. I had 8 really wonderful kids to toodle around Disney World with. Four parks, three days (including a 2 ½ hour choral workshop). Now to catch up on sleep, housework, and write chapter 7!**

**A huge thank you to Sunflower Fran. She knows why.**

**To those that didn't get teasers, sorry … if a review came in after Wednesday afternoon, I was away from a computer and could not send one. This week, all reviewers should get one. Or you can just shoot me a pm. Just remember, you have to be logged in so I can reply!**

**Have a wonderful week!**

**DeJean**


	7. Chapter 7

**Story is mine. Characters, not so much, but I have fun with them!**

Chapter 7:

"So you did not tell him I would marry him?" Isabella asked relief evident in her voice as she and her father made their way through the woods toward their home. She clutched a small parcel of fabric to her breast as if it were her last lifeline of hope.

"Absolutely not. He asked to court you, and I said you are free to marry who you chose. Damn fool couldn't get your name right. I wouldn't expect he'd be able to ask you properly without someone whispering in his ear what to say." Charles readjusted his pack and looked over at his daughter with concern. "You wouldn't choose him, would you?"

"I'd rather …" Suddenly remembering Carlisle's words, she stopped and looked around.

Charles paused and studied the surrounding trees, searching for whatever might have caught Isabella's attention.

"Did you hear something?"

"No. Father Carlisle said that sometimes it's best to remain cautious when one has a negative opinion, especially where the sheriff is concerned. You never know when there are unfriendly ears around."

Charles nodded. The sheriff had been growing more and more paranoid lately, and there were rumors of him paying people to report anything they heard said about him. Whether the information was true or not was beside the point.

"Better keep moving then. It's going to be dark soon, and I'd just as soon be in my own four walls when that happens." He pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders. "It's already getting colder."

She nodded as the two of them crested another hill.

"And the answer is no," Isabella murmured.

"Hmmm?"

"No, I would not marry the sheriff. Not for a house as grand as the castle and enough money to have servants and books and plenty to eat."

Charles nodded, more than a bit proud of his daughter. Some young women would have seen the potential bettering of their life and jumped at the opportunity to marry the sheriff, but Isabella did not. He was delighted with this revelation about her character, and his steps felt a bit lighter as he continued home.

"I would rather spend the rest of my days scrabbling for a single meal than to live in fear of what he might do to me," she continued.

He nodded and the two continued on their way home, the sound of fallen leaves crunching underfoot the only break in the silence. Isabella halted and looked curiously into the woods just beyond their home.

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"Did William talk of any of his kin going hunting today?"

"Not that I know of, why?"

She pointed to an old oak tree just on the other side of their home. Hanging by its rear legs, a fine male deer dangled from the lower branches.

"Where did that come from, I wonder," Charles murmured, dropping his pack next to the house. He cautiously approached the deer as if at any moment it would come to life and start kicking.

"Maybe Jacob?"

Charles shook his head.

"That boy isn't much of a hunter. But then, even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes."

Charles studied the deer once again. This fine buck would provide many a meal for the two of them. And possibly shoes and a few other items they had not owned in a long time. They were not about to let such a gift go to waste.

"Well, this isn't going to butcher itself, Isabella. Go get the knives, and I'll stoke up the fire. We don't have much light left so I'll get it good and high."

Isabella nodded and ran to gather the needed supplies while her father unfastened the rope that held the deer suspended and lowered the buck to the ground. He studied it carefully.

"Looks like you broke your neck," he murmured, running his hand over the short fur before spying two puncture marks on the buck's throat. "That's odd."

Edward watched Isabella and Charles from behind a rock outcropping a short distance away. From his crouched position, he could see and hear everything but remain undetected … at least by the humans. His family, though, could find him quite easily.

_I would have just broken the neck and left it so it looked like the deer had fallen or had been injured in a fight, but to each his own._

Edward's head dropped as he Emmett came up behind him. His brother had the foresight not to announce himself aloud so that Charles and Isabella remained ignorant of their observers.

So much for being alone, Edward thought.

_Alice sent me._

"Of course she did."

The two silently watched as Charles and Isabella began to prepare the buck for preservation.

_Something a bit erotic about all this, isn't there?_

Edward pointedly ignored his brother, earning a huge grin.

_Rosalie always is very appreciative of little love tokens I leave from time to time._

The deer was not a love token. Edward needed to hunt and had found the buck. There was no reason to waste the carcass when someone could use it. Isabella and her father just happened to be the closest humans to his kill.

Images of how appreciative his sister was flooded Edward's mind, causing him to clench his fists and squeeze his eyes shut, but the assault continued.

_But then, appreciation isn't at all why you did it, is it, Edward?_

"Fuck. You."

Emmett's low chuckle followed Edward as he bolted away.

"You know, that wasn't very nice of you," Rosalie said quietly, appearing suddenly next to Emmett. She peered around the stone they stood behind to see Isabella and her father begin to skin the deer.

"Just a little payback. Our brother's high and mighty ways are going to come back to haunt him, and I am going to enjoy every minute."

Emmett put one arm around his wife's waist and drew her near, nuzzling her throat before placing a kiss just under her jaw, earning a sweet sigh of contentment.

"So that's the little human that has Edward all in a lather."

Emmett looked over her shoulder at Isabella and nodded.

"That is."

"Good for her. About time someone knocked down his house of cards."

"Very true, my love. But for now, I'm a little more interested in knocking something else down."

Rosalie giggled as her husband leaned her back against the boulder and let his hands wander.

**~STTBW~**

A few weeks later, Isabella and Charles quietly walked through the woods near 'the castle' as she still insisted on calling it. No one living in the woods had any knowledge of the people that residing there and until proper introductions had been made, it was prudent to remain cautious.

Since their last trip to town, the weather had grown even colder and the rains had begun, turning the ground into a mucky mess so travel was slow, but Isabella did not mind. She enjoyed the walks with her father as he taught her about the plants, animals, and seasons with a patience only rivaled by that of Father Carlisle.

The worsening weather necessitated gathering up the few animals they owned and to settle them in their pens close to their tiny hut. With the deer that had been left by a generous but unknown benefactor, the sow and her litter were safe from the knife for at least the time being, but they needed the pigs to be put in the pen to protect them from predators while the other animals settled in for their winter naps.

Isabella pulled a small piece of jerky out of her pocket and offered part to her father who shook his head. After taking a bite, she wiggled her toes in her new deerskin boots. It had been a long time since she had coverings for her feet and the sensation took a bit of getting used to, but after the first rains had come, she was grateful she had them.

Charles made a loud grunting noise, earning a giggle from Isabella. No matter how many times the two went out to gather the animals, she always was amused at how her normally solemn father would instantly become whatever beastie they were searching. He gave her a look of admonition before calling once again. This time a grunt came in response, and he pointed in the direction they were to go.

Cresting a hill, the 'castle' came into view. Charles had never seen it before and let out a low whistle.

"Damn big house for out here. No wonder the people in town couldn't stop talking about it."

"Pig is marked, right?" Isabella asked nervously.

It would not do if their sow had been taken in and claimed by another. By marking her with Charles' sign, there would be indisputable evidence that it was theirs. Indisputable if the residents were honest folk, but since no one had ever met them, Charles and Isabella were right to be cautious.

"Did it myself last spring after she whelped. She and the piglets have my mark."

He called once again and headed in the direction of the response.

As the two rounded the house, a small pen came into view with the sow and four well-fed, almost-completely-grown young sleeping in a fresh bed of hay. What amazed the two of them was that the pigs were freshly washed and sported ribbons around their necks, each bearing a single letter carved out of wood.

Isabella and Charles stared in shocked silence at the sight before them. Who in their right mind would do such a thing?

As if in answer to their question, a door to the house opened and a beautiful young woman in a flowing, cream-colored dress lightly danced down the steps, a basket in her hand. She looked up and smiled broadly at them.

"Well, hello there!" she said in a musical voice.

Isabella and Charles stood in confused silence for a moment.

"Bonjour!" she repeated, in perfectly inflected French.

Again, she received no response.

"Hola!"

This time, she shook her head when they looked at each other dumbly.

"Guten morgen?"

Isabella finally found her voice.

"Um … Hello."

She received a bright, beaming smile for her efforts. The young woman placed the basket on the ground out of reach of the snuffling noses of the pigs who seemed to know it held something for them.

"You do speak! How wonderful! My name is Alice, and this is my brother's home. We are just visiting for a season while he settles in."

A loud crash from an upstairs room interrupted her, but she paid it no attention even though Charles and Isabella both jumped.

Alice waved off any concerns.

"My brothers and husband are rearranging some furniture. No need to worry."

Another loud thud, more threatening than the first followed. Alice turned toward the house with a quick glare that faded as rapidly as it formed. For a moment, Isabella thought she saw the young woman's lips move, but she heard nothing so she dismissed the notion from her mind.

"So, are you here for Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, Peter, and their mother?" Alice said with a large grin, drawing their attention away from the demolition noises in the house.

"Who?" Isabella inquired, confused.

"Flopsy." Alice pointed to the pig with an 'F' dangling from the ribbon. "Mopsy. Cottontail. Peter. And their mother. We didn't know if she already had a name so we didn't give her one."

"They named them," Charles murmured in a shocked voice, looking over at his daughter who was equally bewildered.

"Of course we named them! Why wouldn't we?"

"But … why?"

The sound of glass shattering brought their attention away from the animals.

"Are you certain they are …" Bella began before being cut off.

"I better check on that. Why don't the two of you get that cart and load the piggies up, and I'll see just what is going on upstairs. I'm sure it is nothing at all," Alice said with a calm smile before dashing into the house.

Isabella and Charles stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Well, the cart would be easier than trying to herd them," Charles said with a nod.

Isabella agreed and the two crossed the impeccably landscaped yard to where a brand new cart sat.

"You don't think the castle is already falling apart, do you, Father?"

With a shrug, Charles grabbed one side of the cart while Isabella positioned herself on the other.

"As fast as it went up, anything is possible. But I'm not a builder."

"My heavens, what is going on up here?" Alice demanded, storming into a bedroom on the upper floor.

She quickly scanned the destruction—three bookcases, two desks and a large mirror lay in pieces strewn across the floor. Judging from the rapidly healing gash on Emmett's arm, he had been the recipient of the mirror's wrath.

Edward sat crouched in a corner, his head resting on his knees, still as a statue.

"I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that question, darling," Jasper drawled, not moving from his position between Emmett and Edward.

Alice sighed and knelt near Edward, keeping a respectful distance.

"Edward?" she murmured.

Silence.

"Edward?" Alice paused and thought before gently touching his shoulder.

Edward tensed but did not move.

"You know why you couldn't see her these past few weeks."

And he did. It was not a question, merely a statement of fact. Being too close to Isabella would have been catastrophic. First it was the arrival of Isabella's monthlies which would have driven any of the vampires insane to be around, especially one as possessive as Edward. Alice's vision of Isabella's broken and drained body had forced Edward to run to a neighboring country to hunt and find other distractions until he felt he could return home.

Alice gazed sympathetically at her brother and shook her head.

"I don't know why," she whispered. "Yet Isabella calls to you. Maybe not in words … yet. But something about her. She is going to be so good for you."

"I don't give a fuck about _good_ for me," Edward growled, his voice warped and deep. "She is mine, and I will have her."

Alice paused and became lost in thought. Edward jerked and twitched as the various potential futures spun through her brain.

_Edward introduces himself to Isabella and Charles as they stand by the cart of pigs._

_Together they take the pigs home. Edward is charming, and both Isabella and Charles are drawn to him. Isabella's smiles are bright, and she asks if she has ever met him before because there is just something familiar about him._

_Sheriff Newton shows up at the house before Edward leaves._

_With his deputies. _

_With the intent of taking Isabella home with him_.

"Mine," Edward growled lowly as the sheriff in Alice's vision grabs hold of Isabella's arms.

"But Edward, look at her!"

True enough. In this version of the future, Edward sees a frail, fearful girl who no longer has any spark of life glowing in her eyes.

_The sheriff and his deputies are all lying dead about the forest floor, and Edward's eyes glow ruby red._

"What other choice do I have? Show me!" he demanded.

Jasper growled and took a step toward Alice who held up a hand to stop him.

"He won't hurt me, Jasper. It's okay."

Alice assured everyone she was fine and closed her eyes.

_Emmett introduces himself and helps pull the cart to Isabella and Charles' home. Both remark how wonderful his help is with the ground being so boggy._

_There is laughing and joking and smiling._

_Emmett talks of Rosalie and the family. Jokes about a bachelor brother and how said brother needs a mate._

_Isabella blushes a bright red, a fact that does not go unnoticed by Charles._

_Isabella makes friends with Emmett._

_Emmett departs with the cart, ostensibly to head back to 'the castle.'_

_Sheriff appears and threatens Charles and Isabella. Deputies grab both. Hands wander, Isabella's dress is torn._

_Deputy gets foot stomped on and Isabella knees him good._

Edward leapt to his feet, a murderous glare on his face.

"I'll kill him!"

Alice shakes her head and soothingly runs one hand down his arm.

"He's not going to do anything more to her."

"He touched what is mine!"

"Let it play out, Edward."

_Charles stops Isabella and gives himself up to go to jail to ensure Isabella's safety._

_Isabella is left alone and scared as it begins to rain._

"You'll bring her here. Tonight. After that bloated frog of a sheriff and his lackeys have gone. I'll not have her staying in that hovel alone," Edward demanded, fist clenched at his sides.

"That 'hovel' as you call it is her home, and she is very happy there," Alice said quietly.

"Impossible!"

"Have you forgotten your own humanity?"

"Bah!" Edward spun away, cautiously looking out the window at Charles and Isabella below.

"Face it, my brother. That girl has you wrapped around her finger so tightly, you don't know which way is up," Emmett said with a grin.

"She's human. Nothing more."

Even to him, the words sounded hollow.

"Bring her here, or I will bring her here."

"Jasper and I will do as you demand," Alice said after a long silence. "But you have to behave. Properly."

When Edward made a scoffing noise, Alice grabbed his jaw and forced him to look at her.

_She is yours, Edward, but you are just as much hers._

A vision of Edward and Isabella together in several cozy situations flooded his mind.

"No," Edward mumbled, stumbling back and running from the room. A door slammed on another floor.

"So what happens next?" Emmett asked, breaking the silence that followed Edward's departure.

"You come with me and help Charles and Isabella get their livestock home. Jasper and I will bring Isabella here tonight. And then we pray," Alice said quietly before heading down the stairs.

**~STTBW~**

**Sooooo…we are now up to innocence prompt chapter! I thought we'd never get there. I will be rewriting/editing/expanding the prompt so don't think you know the entire story!**

**I had hoped to write this weekend, but one of my girls came down with a sinus infection &amp; I got to spend over 4 hours waiting for her to be seen. Minute Clinic, my rumpus. But, she is now well-medicated and on the mend, so it was worth it in the end. **

**The reason I tell you this is because my beta is unavailable next week with the Memorial Day holiday, and I will be traveling both weekends as well, so the next chapter may be delayed. I will try my best to write this week, and if I feel confident in its content, I will post on Monday—it may be later in the day since the family has spotty Internet connections, but I will do my best.**

**I probably will not be able to send out teasers, but I do appreciate your reviews, so let me know what you think!**

**Have a wonderful week!**

**DeJean **


	8. Chapter 8

**Let's get to some unbeta-ed darkness, shall we? (That's a warning, btw…nothing too graphic, but not pleasant.)**

Chapter 8:

Charles and Isabella stood idly by a brand-new, wooden cart filled with happy, satisfied piggies, unsure of what to do with themselves. Should they take the cart and journey on home or should they wait for Alice to return? She had been gone a lot longer than one would expect one to be just to check on a loud noise.

A cold breeze made Isabella draw her coat tighter around her, cinching the belt a little snugger. The low-hanging clouds made the air feel damp and heavy. She was ready to be in their tiny, one room home, safe and secure through the cold, late-Fall night.

The sound of a door opening caught Charles and Isabella's attention, and they turned to see Emmett bounding down the stairs two at a time.

Isabella cowered behind her father, more than a little afraid of this mountain of a man that rapidly approached. She relaxed only when Alice, shaking her head back and forth while laughing, descended the steps.

"You're scaring our guests, Brother Bear!"

"Good day to you!" Emmett boomed, mischief in his voice and his eyes. "My sister said you needed assistance transporting your livestock home."

"Sister?" Isabella blurted out, wondering how such a petite, lithe young woman and a massive, hulking young man could have been birthed by the same parents.

Yet their eyes caught her attention. Yes, _there_ was the family resemblance she mused. Both bore the same golden sunset eye color.

Isabella relaxed completely and stepped out from behind Charles, a shy but welcoming smile lighting up her face.

"Adopted," Alice said reassuringly, confusing Isabella since she had begun to see similar traits. Perhaps cousins or some such tie was the logical explanation.

"But that's by-the-by." Alice continued, waving one hand in the air. "Emmett is exceptionally strong and has offered to pull the cart to your house. You won't have to worry about how you'll return it."

"We can't ask you to do that," Charles replied.

"Who said anything about asking?" Emmett grinned and moved between the handles of the cart, easily lifting them. "I volunteered. Which way do we go?"

Realizing that they had really no choice in the matter, farewells and thank yous were made and soon the three were heading toward the tiny cottage Isabella and Charles called home.

"Does it always rain this much?" Emmett asked as fat, cold raindrops tumbled from the darkening sky.

"Worse once winter comes," Charles said, motioning in the direction they should go. "Not usually cold enough to snow or ice but not warm enough to keep you from chilling to the bone. Though the way my knee is hurting, we may be in for a rough go."

"Well, we will get these beasts home before that happens."

"I can help when we get to the hills. Ground gets boggy, and the cart might get stuck."

Emmett nodded, knowing full well that he was perfectly capable of picking up the cart, load and all, and carrying it over his head if need be, but that would shatter the illusion of being human.

"I would appreciate the help, Sir," he replied instead.

"Charles. Name's Charles. This is my daughter, Isabella."

"Very pleased to meet you two. Name's Emmett. My wife, Rosalie, and I are visiting my brother who built that monstrosity of a house." He tossed his head over his shoulder toward 'the castle.' "He's a bachelor and has all those bedrooms with no one to fill them up with. Spent years traveling and working for some pretty powerful people. He let the work consume him until there was no separation from him and it. Don't get me wrong. He could get any wife he wants, but he hasn't decided yet that he wants anyone in particular so he's spent most of his life alone. Not the most sociable creature you've ever met, either"

The three walked in silence for a bit. Isabella pondered over what Emmet had said. She felt a bit sad for his unnamed brother. No one should be alone. She and Charles may not have much in the way of worldly goods, but they did have each other, and that was quite enough for her.

"You spoken for?" Emmet asked suddenly, pulling her away from her musings.

Isabella blushed at the bluntness of Emmett's question, but when she looked at his friendly face and the impish dimples winking at her, she shook her head and overlooked his rudeness.

"Well, you'd be too good for my brother anyway."

Isabella's brow furrowed at the statement. She was nothing more than a simple, plain peasant. She had almost no formal education other than the few lessons Father Carlisle had given her. The idea that she would be too good for someone was laughable to her.

"But then, my Rosalie is too good for me, as well." Emmett's face softened as he thought of his wife, setting off a bit of wistfulness in Isabella.

"Ah, looks like we're here," Emmett said, interrupting her thoughts.

After the pigs were rehomed in their pen, Charles turned toward Emmett and invited him to stay for evening meal, but the offer was politely turned down, citing the need to get home to his wife.

"Good man, that one," Charles said as the two watched Emmett crest the hill, not knowing that he had heard and was smiling at the assessment. "And strong. Didn't even break a sweat pulling that cart like he did."

Emmett quietly chuckled as he pulled the cart out of view of Charles and Isabella.

"So what time do the good sheriff and his merry men appear?" Rosalie said as her husband approached the spot from which Edward had first watched over Isabella and her father.

"Just after sunset." Emmett set the cart down and then looked to the steel-gray sky. "Shouldn't be long."

"Any idea why Alice said I should be here for this? All I could get out of her was that it was important to my relationship with Edward's obsession."

"Alice always has her reasons," he replied with a shrug. "She really say 'Edward's obsession?'"

"No," Rosalie said with a half-smile. "I'm just curious why I …"

Her words were cut off by the sound of horses and riders approaching. Emmett took a position behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a light kiss at her temple, earning a peaceful smile.

"Behave, you," Rosalie whispered, earning a rumbling chuckle.

"I can if you do."

Her smile quickly faded as she took in the scene a short distance away.

Sheriff Newton's mount was roughly pulled to a halt, earning a low growl from Rosalie. She, from an early human age, had nothing but love and respect for horses. Their speed, agility, and intelligence all appealed to her, and she despised anyone who dared mistreat such lovely creatures. It was obvious by the lather and strain on the fine creature the sheriff rode that it had been abused.

"Greetings, Sheriff Newton," Charles said cautiously, ceasing his gathering of wood.

"This is not a social call, Charles Swan," the sheriff replied haughtily, tugging down his vest that had slipped upward, exposing a swath of ample, bright pink belly.

Charles nodded before giving Isabella a slight shrug of the shoulder when she looked at him curiously as if to ask if he knew why the sheriff and his deputies were here.

"I am here for what was promised."

"Promised? What do I have that you have been promised?"

Sheriff Newton released an exasperated sigh and quickly signaled to his deputies. The two men dismounted and approached Isabella.

"My wife, of course," he said, pointing at Isabella.

"What?" Isabella and Charles both exclaimed simultaneously, one looking accusingly at the other who shook his head in vehement denial.

Michael's eyes narrowed as he looked back and forth between the father and daughter. Had Charles not said Isabella would be able to pick her husband? Had he not given him permission to court her? And who in their right mind would not leap at the opportunity to marry a sheriff?

"Enough of these games. Take her."

Isabella suddenly was grabbed from behind and held tightly against one of the deputies. She gagged at the stench rolling off the man. It was as if he had rolled around a well-used horse stall.

Emmett's arms tightened around Rosalie's waist, and he murmured soothing words into her ear as the two watched Isabella stomp on the foot of her captor. When the deputy jumped and howled in pain, she spun around, brought one knee up, quickly and on target, sending the deputy to the ground in a writhing mass of pain.

"Oh, I like 'm feisty," growled the other deputy as he chased Isabella around the corner of the house.

"Stop him!" Charles shouted at Michael who watched the proceedings with detached amusement.

"Whatever for?"

"He'll hurt her!"

"After what she did to my deputy, it would be justifiable. Their pay is low enough to allow him a little something extra."

Charles' eyes widened first in disbelief and then in fury before he ran to his daughter's defense, a large piece of firewood in one hand. He found his daughter pinned against the side of the house, her dress torn from neck to waist, the deputy holding both of her wrists in one hand while the other pulled up her skirts as she kicked futilely at her assailant.

"Let. Me. Go," Rosalie hissed her eyes black as coal as she struggled in Emmett's embrace. He refused to release her as much as it pained him.

"I can't," Emmett whispered back, his grip tightening. "Alice said not to."

"You know…"

"I do," he said, placing a soft kiss on her temple in an attempt to soothe her. "But this has to happen."

Emmett knew his wife's past-how she had been beaten and taken against her will by her then-fiancé and his friends and it greatly pained him to force her to watch the events before them.

"Just wait," Emmett begged.

"I will kill him," Rosalie vowed.

"When the time is right, I will help."

"No. Sheriff Newton is mine. And his deputies." She spun around and grabbed Emmet's shirt with both hands. "Promise me this."

Emmett paused as his wife stared up at him with pure anguish in her eyes. He silently nodded and felt her relax ever so slightly. He could not change her past, but he could give her this.

The sound of heavy oak hitting skull brought their attention back to Isabella and Charles.

"Father!" Isabella sobbed, clutching her dress together and running into his arms.

Charles silently soothed his daughter, dropping the piece of firewood at his feet.

The sound of the cocking of a pistol brought their attention back to the Sheriff Michael Newton who now held gun directed straight at Charles' chest.

"Charles Swan, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of one of my deputies," Michael said, peering over at the body of the man slumped on the ground. "He is only out cold, isn't he?"

The other deputy limped over to check and nodded after finding signs of life.

Michael threw a pair of heavy wrist irons to the deputy who first dropped them and then scrambled to pick them up and put them on Charles, earning an eye-roll from the sheriff.

"You can't do this!" Isabella cried, trying to stop the deputy from shackling her father. The deputy roughly shoved her away, and she tumbled to the ground.

"You will find out, Istanbul, that I can and do anything I want."

"It's Isabella, you idiot!" she screamed as the deputy roughly propelled her father toward the sheriff.

"And you will discover that I really do not care what your name is." He looked over at the standing deputy and motioned to the unconscious man. "Throw him over his saddle and lead him back to town. I'll take this one to the jail."

He paused before leering down at Isabella.

"Unless you would like to come to town? We can visit Father Carlisle and be wed before dark. I'll even let your father stand by you and let him go on his merry way afterward."

"I would rather die," Isabella bit out at the same time her father shouted a resounding 'no' at the suggestion.

Sheriff Newton's eyes grew cold at the rejection and his face tightened.

"Then your father will stay in the jail until the magistrate returns. It shouldn't be more than two or three months."

All color drained from Isabella's face as she processed what she had heard. The jail was said to have no amenities other than walls and a roof. With winter approaching, Charles would surely freeze to death. She could not allow this. Charles recognized the look on her face and frantically shook his head. His daughter was generous to a fault, but he could not sanction her marrying the sheriff under any circumstances.

"Go in the house, Isabella," he ordered.

"Father, no! I can…"

"You cannot. I will not allow it."

"Enough talk," Sheriff Newton grumbled, urging his horse onward. "To town."

"In the house, Isabella," Charles ordered quietly. "Please? Don't watch me go."

Isabella clutched her torn dress shut as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Finally, she nodded and did as her father requested, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door and listened until she could no longer hear the sound of hooves shuffling through the underbrush. As soon as the sounds faded, all of her remaining strength faded, and she collapsed in a heap next to her father's stool beside the mostly cold embers of the fire, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she sobbed herself to sleep.

~STTBW~

The groggy spot between asleep and awake is a cozy place—much more comforting than reality. Bella snuggled deeper into the straw of her bed, tugging the stubborn covers just a little closer. She had never stoked the fire after her father had been arrested and the night's chill had overtaken the room. She whimpered as the blanket tangled around her legs and pulled until it gave and surrendered herself over to the little warmth and comfort it provided.

"She's quite lovely," a woman's whispered voice came from a dark corner but Bella was too far gone to pay it any mind.

"She is," came the equally muted reply from her mate.

"And he wants her now?"

"You saw him. He's adamant we bring her to him tonight. Nearly tore my head off when I suggested he go by the human route of asking her father for her hand or by at the very least paying him off."

"Edward is a bit of a drama queen," she muttered, rubbing her own throat at the mere idea.

"Don't let him hear you say that, Alice."

"Psht…he's not about to do anything to either of us. We are too valuable since he still thinks he must get back to Volterra and into the guard."

"I would rather not push the boundaries."

"You worry too much, Jasper."

"Comes from being around humans all the time. They are constant bags of worry."

"True."

The couple studied Bella for a few moments more.

"So, how do you think we should do this?" Jasper finally asked.

"However we do it, it needs to be quick. His highness is surely getting impatient."

"Well, if he had wanted quick, he should have sent Jane. Shock her ass, and this one would go anywhere."

"I'll tell him you suggested that."

"Yeah, no."

Jasper studied the bed for a moment and then before one could blink, bundled Isabella up and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

The movement roused her enough to know that she knew something was amiss, and Isabella started struggling but that ended quickly when Jasper sent a wave of calm over her. Her snore told him and Alice she had fallen back asleep.

"That was easy enough," Alice muttered, opening the door.

~STTBW~

Edward sat sprawled in a chair in the master bedroom. By the light of a cheerfully crackling fire, he watched the bed where Isabella lay sleeping fitfully. He tried to hear her dreams, but for some unknown reason, he could not. After what Rosalie and Emmett had reported, it was no surprise that Isabella could not rest.

She was here. In his home.

House.

In his house, he quickly corrected himself. His home was in Volterra, far away from this backwater. This place was only temporary.

Edward saw the bluish bruises blooming under her skin at her wrists and throat where Sheriff Newton's brutes had dared touch what was his in the idiot's delusional attempt to take what did not belong to him. Fury bubbled up in him as he ground his teeth, but he knew justice would be served. Or at the very least, revenge.

Rosalie had returned with Emmett and immediately ran to Edward. Through her thoughts, he saw what had happened. She insisted it was her right to seek vengeance and knowing her history, he had to agree. Rosalie already had a plan to deal with the sheriff and his deputies and was well on her way to putting it into action. Her intentions were crueler and slower than those Edward would have done and that suited his inner demon quite well.

Isabella stretched and yawned as she began to stir from the oddest night's sleep she had had in a long time. She had dreamed of her father's arrest after she was attacked by two of Sheriff Newton's deputies and then cried herself to sleep. Then two people were in her father's cottage, and they had argued about something. But after those images, she had been lulled into a deep, blissful sleep like she had not had since she was a child.

"Good morning, Isabella."

She jumped and turned toward the voice. The sudden realization that she was no longer in her father's cottage struck her, but she could not see well enough in the dark room to distinguish any features, no matter how hard she strained her eyes. Isabella pulled the covers up over her torn dress, trying to cover herself as much as possible.

As her eyes adjusted to the firelight, she saw the shadowy image of a man seated across the room from her. She could not make out any details, though he appeared to be studying her, watching her every move.

"Normally, it is polite to return greetings. Let us try this again. Good morning, Isabella."

"Good…good morning, Sir," she stuttered, clutching the blankets tighter.

"Do not hide from me."

"I do not know who you are, Sir." She swallowed hard as she tried to think of something else to say. "And my clothes … They were torn, and I am not decent."

A low growl from the man frightened Isabella, and she pulled the covers tighter around her as if they would offer her any protection.

The man stood and slowly approached the bed. Isabella gasped as his face became illuminated by the fire. She had never before seen a man so handsome. His finely chiseled features were framed by almost auburn hair pulled back in a neat queue. She could tell his suit alone cost more than her father's lands.

And yet, there was something about this man that she trusted. Deep down inside of her, she knew he could not hurt her, would not hurt her. Isabella relaxed ever so slightly as Edward took another step closer.

"Are you an angel, Sir?" she whispered, her eyes wide. She did not feel afraid of him even though she had been taught to never be alone with a man other than her father and eventually her husband. Or Jacob, but he was of no threat to her other than an overbearing older brother. Perhaps there was a supernatural explanation as to her lack of trepidation.

"No," he replied with a wry laugh, "most certainly not an angel."

He stayed at the far end of the bed, watching her with an intensity that made her blush.

Curiosity finally got the better of her. Isabella climbed up on her knees and slowly, hesitantly, crawled toward him to get a better look at him, not realizing she was giving him an enticing view down the bodice of her dress and at her underpinnings, as simple as they were. Another low growl, but of a different timbre than the first, startled her, and she sat up on her knees, horrified she had done something wrong.

"No, my dear," he murmured, reaching forward to place one hand gently on her cheek. "You've done nothing other than lure a demon to your bedside."

She shook her head in denial. This man before her could not be a demon.

"Oh, I am much worse," he continued. His eyes flickered to the tear in her clothing and his brow furrowed.

Isabella suddenly realized the condition of her clothing and grabbed the torn edges together. Memories of the day before flooded her mind and tears filled her eyes.

"That wasn't a dream, was it?" she whispered in a pained voice. "My father…"

"Will be freed. I promise you. Very soon the _good_ Sheriff Michael Newton will be of no threat to anyone."

He tilted her head to look up at him, and his eyes flickered to her lips. She caught the motion and nodded. She wanted to kiss him. She had no idea why. This man was a stranger, she did not even know his name, but the overwhelming urge to see if those full lips were as soft as she imagined compelled her to lean just a little closer.

Again, she heard the low growl.

"What?" she whispered.

"I can hear your thoughts."

Bella's eyes widened, thankful for a brief moment that her imagination had not ventured any further than a kiss. She had never been touched but being raised tending the animals, she knew the mechanics and she wondered if…

Again, she heard the low growl.

"Is that you?" she asked.

"You are testing my patience."

"Not intentionally, Sir," she said, pulling back only to find he held her in place.

"I do not wish to rob you of your innocence like a brute."

"But you plan to take my innocence?" Again, she felt her face redden and pressed her hands to her cheeks to cool them.

"Over and over, Isabella."

The notion thrilled her more than was proper but then the icy cold hand of reality struck her.

"And then once you ruin me, you will return me to my father?"

He leaned forward, his eyes sparkling, a broad grin on his face, revealing very sharp, very white teeth. He placed his lips next to her ear and paused before whispering…

"Oh, no, my dear Isabella. Then you will be mine."

**~STTBW~**

**Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter and the get-well wishes for DD1—she is happy, healthy, and now an 8****th**** grade graduate. High School next year…oye. DD2 finished 6****th**** and will be heading to 7****th**** grade, and that means…it's summer in the Smith household! Crazy schedules and spottier writing times, but I will do my best to keep to the weekly schedule. I am on Twitter as DeJeanSmith and will post on there if things get delayed.**

**I will be responding to all the reviews from the last chapter and all to this one will get a teaser from chapter 9 once I get back home (writing this from my in-laws' farm in rural central North Carolina…I could get used to this peacefulness…)**

**Sooooo….whatcha think? Especially to all of those that called for Edward to end the sheriff…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, my friends! Short, unbeta-ed chapter here. I had a choice between publishing a short chapter or skipping this week. More at the end…**

Chapter 9:

"_Oh, no, my dear Isabella. Then you will be mine."_

The words echoed through Isabella's mind. Just what did he mean by 'you will be mine'? After her experience with the sheriff, she certainly did not wish to be owned by anyone. She was a person, after all, not property.

A tightness grew in her chest and a sense of dread gripped her heart. She was too proud to let herself be held in a prison, no matter how pretty it was.

Slowly, without thinking, she placed one hand on his chest and pushed. When Edward did not move, she used the force to propel herself back, earning a curious look from him.

"No," Isabella whispered, frantically shaking her head back and forth as she scurried further back on the bed until she reached the headboard.

"I beg your pardon?" Edward asked in an incredulous voice, raising one eyebrow.

No one said 'no' to him. It just did not happen. Between his appearance, his charm when he decided to use it, and the natural call vampires had to their prey, he had never experienced anyone ever denying him.

"I am not a slave. I may not have much, but I will not be owned." She sat up straight and tried to muster together all of her confidence, even though it was a difficult task.

Isabella suddenly realized the state of her dress and clutched it together since the covers were out of reach. She faced him with as much dignity as she could gather.

Edward was confused. He had never intended to 'own' her as she put it. At least not by the definition she presented. Possess, yes, but not own. In his mind, they were two completely different things.

He stared at her silently, suddenly aware that he could not hear her thoughts.

"What magic is this?" he murmured, taking a step closer to the bed.

"I have no magic," Isabella insisted, inching away to keep an acceptable distance between them. "You're the one who says you can read minds which is quite embarrassing, thank you very much."

"I can't hear you now."

She cleared her throat and in a louder voice announced, "You're the one who says you can read…"

Edward waved her off.

"I can hear when you speak, but right now, I cannot hear your thoughts," he said incredulously.

From the moment he awoke as a vampire, he had been able to hear every person's thoughts but now, there was nothing but blissful, unnerving silence.

He ignored the cackling laughter that lilted through the house. Sisters, no matter if they be human or not, could be quite bothersome. Fortunately for him, the sound was too muffled for Isabella to hear.

"Well, thank all that is good in the world for that," Isabella muttered, bringing Edward's attention back.

Internally, she was fighting with herself. A part of her was drawn toward this handsome man. She wondered what it would be like to be the object of his attentions. Another part of her, the one that remembered the words and actions of Sheriff Newton, was frightened and repulsed at the notion of being anyone's possession.

Her empty stomach took the opportunity to make its displeasure known, and she clutched her waist as her face took on a lovely shade of pink.

"I will have someone bring you something to break your fast," Edward said rapidly, regaining his composure.

Before she could blink, he was gone and the door solidly closed behind him.

Isabella leaped out of the bed and ran to the door only to find it bolted from the outside—or at least that is what she thought had happened. In reality, the door knob was crushed on the outside, rendering the mechanism useless. She frantically looked about the room. It was still dark, but her eyes had adjusted to the firelight, and she could tell she was in quite possibly the most opulent room she had ever visited.

Throwing back the heavy, velvet curtains, Isabella realized it was still dark outside and the drizzle of rain trickling down the glass gave her no clue as to her location other than her being on the upper floor of a house somewhere surrounded by trees. She tried to find a latch or some sort of lock to free the window but there was none. Banging on the wood frame also yielded no other result than a sore hand.

"Well, that was useless," she muttered, falling into the chair Edward had occupied as he watched her sleep.

Now what should she do? Her father was sitting in the sheriff's jail, completely oblivious to her predicament. Even if she were to escape the house, where would she go? She had no idea where she was and in which direction her home might be. She was caught in a beautiful but thoroughly effective trap. 

"Are you decent?" an unfamiliar female voice asked from outside the door.

Isabella jolted at the sound.

"What?"

Outside the door, Rosalie rolled her eyes. Alice had already seen the three women being the best of friends, but Edward had stormed through the house, calling for food and drink be brought to Isabella but for everyone to remain unseen. She had half a mind to ignore his orders and just parade in and plop down in a chair and strike up a conversation, but Alice quickly whispered that Edward would take out his anger on the sheriff, thus robbing her of her revenge.

"We have a bath, change of clothes, and food. Are you decent so we can bring it in?" she said.

"Not really, but enter," Isabella said, looking down at her dirty, torn dress. She felt so out of place in her near-rags when surrounded by such finery.

There was a pause and the grinding of metal on metal that made her wince. Isabella heard and felt movement around her but never saw a person as a large copper tub filled with steaming, clean water appeared next to her. Then a pile of soft, white towels found its resting place on her lap. Next, a tray filled with bread and cheese and fruit clanked to a resting place on the table at her right elbow alongside a pitcher of fresh milk and a glass. This was followed by several lamps around the room suddenly springing to life, casting a soft glow about the room.

"Soap," Rosalie announced, placing a bar in Isabella's hand and leaving the room so quickly that she remained unseen.

Isabella looked at the rectangle-shaped object in her hand and sniffed it curiously. It was unlike any soap she had ever seen before. Rather than the harsh scent of lye, this was sweet and clean, much like freshly cut hay.

Another rustle and whirl and a simple, deep blue dress appeared on the bed. She stood and cautiously approached the clothing. It was finer than anything she had ever owned, and she was almost afraid to touch it.

And then she was surrounded by silence.

"Hello?" Isabella called cautiously, amazed at everything she had seen and not seen.

This place must be pure magic, she marveled, more than a little excited at the proposition. She had told Jacob such places existed! She could not wait to tell him about this and see the look on his face as she proved him wrong.

Then reality slowly sunk in. Hopefully, she would get to see Jacob again. The man in her room had assured her that her father would be safe, but he never said anything about her own safety. He had only said she would be his.

That notion terrified and enthralled her at the same time. She would not be his property—that much she knew. Never in a million years. But then the thought that perhaps he meant she would be his in another sense popped into her head.

That would be … acceptable. At least, not as offensive as the alternative. And certainly not as heinous as the possibility of being Sheriff Newton's wife.

Isabella shuddered at the idea.

She remembered her detainer's handsome features and the almost irresistible pull she felt toward him. Curiosity welled up inside her, and she decided to try to learn more about her surroundings and detainer before attempting her escape.

Her stomach made its presence known a second time, and her attention turned toward the simple but enticing tray of food. Isabella grabbed the hunk of soft white bread and tore off a large bite before shoving it in her mouth. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she sighed contently as the sweet, yeasty goodness melted on her tongue. Faster than what would be polite in the presence of company, the bread, cheese, and fruit disappeared.

A half-eaten apple in her hand, Isabella looked over at the bath and paused. Usually her ablutions were at the mercy of the temperature of the water in the creek that ran near her home. The notion of warm water in a tub in a bedroom was novel at best.

After cautiously looking around the room, she took one more bite of her apple and placed the core on the tray next to the tub.

"Anyone here?" she asked in a hushed voice.

It seemed a bit silly even to her, but with the events of the last half hour, she was prepared to err on the side of caution.

Receiving no answer, she quickly stripped out of her dress and slipped into the warm water. Isabella was certain her sigh of contentment could be heard by anyone in the house and at that particular moment, did not care one whit.

**~STTBW~**

**So consider this chapter 9, part 1…Chapter 10 (or part 2 of chapter 9) will be Edward receiving some fatherly advice and some background on several of the Cullen clan.**

**I thank you in advance for your understanding. This past week was one full of ups and downs. I won't bore you with details, but I've been to the funeral home and a funeral, helped deliver meals to work crews, and thrown a cookout at a local lake in the middle of a rainstorm for 60 teenagers.**

**But this week is much clearer *crosses fingers* The following, not so much, so I will work like the dickens to get ahead to keep on schedule. I know my beta would love that. *vbg***

**I was pretty lousy at getting to everyone's chapter 7 reviews, but I hope I caught everyone with a teaser that left me a review for chapter 8. Please know that I treasure each and every one and feel free to leave me a question, comment, or concern. I'll answer as honestly as I can without spoiling too much. And if you want to be spoiled, let me know…I just don't want to do it unintentionally.**

**Until next Monday…**

**DeJean**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you all for your understanding on RL issues. Let's see what happens with Edward, shall we?**

**As always, I own the story, Steph owns the characters, and Ms. SunflowerFran works her red pen magic over it.**

Chapter 10:

Confused, Edward fled the bedroom, running from the questions that troubled him. Isabella's refusal had been all so new to him. Not since he had left the Cullen family and joined the Guard had he been denied what he wanted. Never had someone, much less a female, told him no. He had never forced himself on a woman, and he no desire to do so, but they usually were more than willing to lavish their attentions on him at the mere hint of interest on his part.

Edward remembered his many conquests back in Volterra. At the time, they had been physically satisfying but nothing more than that. That had been wholly acceptable to him. He did not want anything more than a physical release.

But Isabella was different. She intrigued him and made him want to know more about her. He yearned to know her opinions, her thoughts, and her dreams.

He scoffed a laugh. Her thoughts.

To be unable to hear her thoughts when he already had been privy to them, that was a puzzle unto itself. He _knew_ he had heard her before, first when she and that mutt had journeyed through the woods to see his 'castle' as she called it. Then when he performed at Carlisle's church, the utter joy and pleasure she could barely express in thought much less in word had pleased him greatly.

But Edward had not been able to hear Isabella's thoughts and dreams when she was sleeping in his bed. It was a fitful, agitated sleep, so she must have been dreaming, yet he saw and heard nothing. And then again, when she dared to deny him, there was nothing but silence.

Edward shook his head in dismay.

The icing on the cake was hearing his siblings as they laughed at him and their incessant praise of Isabella's ability not to succumb to his charms-that sent him over the edge. He knew losing control would not help him get back in the Volturi's good graces so he fled in the hopes of clearing his mind. Once alone, he would analyze just what had happened and plot a solution. She would be his, fully, before sunrise. Or that was his plan at the very least.

After ordering care for Isabella, which not surprisingly was already being gathered and prepared, he ran, the door slamming behind him as he ventured out into the dark rain.

Running always cleared his mind when he was a younger vampire. Freshly awoken from the fire that was his transformation, he discovered that he was fast. Even after his newborn phase had ended, no other vampire could best him in a foot race. That love for speed had never faded, though back in Volterra, the opportunities to stretch his legs were few and far between. This forsaken backwater he had been banished to provided ample space and opportunity for him to once again experience what had brought him much joy in the past.

Weaving in and out of the trees and vaulting rocks and bushes, he attempted to process what had happened. Edward thought rescuing Isabella from the squalor that was her home and providing her protection from any further advances from the sheriff would be a welcomed turn of events.

And then, of course, there was himself. He was handsome, talented, and wealthy. What else would someone in her situation want or need?

Edward had been certain once she thought logically about the situation surrounding her living conditions and her father's imprisonment, he would claim her as his and she would gratefully acquiesce.

But it was not to be.

He had seen her eyes widen when she first spied him, had heard her heart beat a little faster as he had approached her in his bed. He had heard her thoughts; wondering what it would be like to kiss him, to be touched by him in ways she could only imagine. He had scented the rich bloom of arousal on her skin when he whispered into her ear.

Logically, right now the two should be stripped naked and enjoying the pleasures of the bed rather than her alone in a bathtub and he running through the woods in a cold rain.

"_Oh, no, my dear Isabella. Then you will be mine."_

Something had drastically changed in her when he had said those words and he could not decipher just what had happened.

Without realizing it, Edward discovered he had run to the small parish church in town where Carlisle pastored. He came to a stop outside the back door and stood under an overhang, just out of the rain and waited.

_Come in when you're ready._

Edward scoffed a laugh at his father's comment. He was not sure he would ever be _ready_ to enter the sanctuary. He had long forsaken any thought of redemption or sanctification it might have for him.

He listened to Carlisle's innocent thoughts as the man bustled around the hall, cleaning and straightening, clearly waiting for Edward to make a decision.

Quietly closing the door behind him, Edward saw Carlisle standing at the front of the church as he gazed up at the old wooden cross he knew once belonged to Carlisle's father.

"So, you knew I'd come?" Edward asked, not moving from his place just inside the door.

"No." Carlisle paused, not turning to face his son. "I wasn't certain. I heard some rumors about what happened at Charles and Isabella's home. When I went to check on her, I found her missing and knew Jasper and Alice had been there."

"I couldn't leave her there alone!" Edward bit out, clenching his hands into fists. "She is mine, and they had no right to touch her. What if they had come back and … ?"

With a calm that had always infuriated his son, Carlisle turned to face him.

"Is she, now?"

A look of confusion passed over Edward's face. Carlisle's features hardened as his son refused to answer.

"Is she yours? You have taken her? Forced her?" Carlisle continued, a tinge of anger coloring his voice. He was ready to defend Isabella's honor should the need arise.

"I don't need to force anyone," Edward replied, his back stiffening at the accusation.

"So she turned you down."

"I don't need to answer that."

"So she did. Interesting."

Carlisle crossed the sanctuary and peered into the poor box. Seeing the meagre contributions therein, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins to add. The gold made a dull thud as it fell onto the wood, but in the silence of the sanctuary, it seemed as loud as cannon fire.

"So what happened?" Carlisle finally asked.

"I don't need to confess my sins to you, Father."

Carlisle laughed at the stern look on his son's face.

"Always black and white with you, isn't it, Edward? No possibilities of anything else."

Edward remained silent as Carlisle cautiously approached him.

"So tell me what happened to put you in such a state. There was a time when we would have days-long discussions about anything and everything. I have missed those times."

Edward nodded at the memory of those events where many a question and problem had been resolved. Together. It seemed so long ago.

For the past few decades, Edward had convinced himself he needed no one and that he could rely solely upon himself. After all, that was what being part of the Guard meant—being at the top of the food chain, needing no one, caring for no one other than oneself.

But years before that, he had been part of Carlisle and Esme's family—the beloved, only child as well as a male, which in their society had been paramount. Even as a human, he had been the only son of parents that had doted on him to the day they died of a fever that had swept their community. Changed when he was seventeen, Edward had not completely matured emotionally and that had caused some problems that Carlisle and Esme had lovingly tried to resolve, and he had responded beautifully.

Then Rosalie had joined them and there had been hope that she and Edward would find happiness together, but that had not happened. Emmett filled the place Edward had been intended to possess. Truth be told, Edward had no interest in Rosalie as a mate, but the fact she had been brought in for him, only to be taken by someone else, pricked his pride.

And then Alice and Jasper joined their growing family. Alice with her ability to foresee the future and Jasper with his knowledge of how to manipulate emotions suddenly displaced Edward as the sole vampire in the family with mental abilities. Again, Edward was no longer the golden child.

A trip to Volterra had changed everything. There Edward had been coveted. From the moment Aro met him, every whim and desire Edward could dream of had been provided in an effort to woo him away from the Cullen family. The choice was so simple and he had grabbed it, leaving the only family he had known, convincing himself that he needed no one other than himself.

"Edward?" Carlisle said gently, breaking him from his thoughts.

Edward's head lifted and he saw no judgement on Carlisle's face, just love and understanding. A quick look into the mind of the man he had called 'father' for decades found nothing deceitful as well. There was a concern for both Edward's actions and Isabella's safety.

"She. Is. Mine," Edward said in a quiet but forceful whisper.

"She is no one's but her own," Carlisle replied gently with a shake of the head.

Edward petulantly spun around, biting his tongue so he would not give into the rage that was building inside of him. He clenched and unclenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut as he heard Carlisle try to formulate what he should say next.

"Edward," Carlisle said softly, but he received no response. "Why is she yours? What claim do you have to her? So far, you have treated her exactly like Sheriff Newton."

"I have treated her _nothing _like that worthless toad!" Edward sliced at the air with his hands as he spoke, earning a wan smile from his father.

"Really? You gave her a choice to be moved to your home? You gave her a choice in where she was going to be and who she was going to be with for the rest of her days?"

"It's not the same! I was protecting what is mine!"

"Again, Edward, how is she yours?"

"She…"

Edward's voice trailed off. He had no answer to that question. Other than the burning desire to possess her in every way possible, he had no explanation to give.

"Is she just a pretty object you want to put on a pedestal?"

Without consciously knowing it, Edward shook his head. No, she was much more than that. Although he did not know just how to vocalize what this human meant to him, she was something so much more than just a possession.

Carlisle's hand came to rest on his son's shoulder. Edward at first stiffened at the contact but slowly relaxed.

"Perhaps, you need to think about what Isabella wants and how she feels."

Edward remained silent in thought, mulling over this bit of advice as Carlisle reached for his overcoat and a large, floppy hat.

"Expected attire for my position and the weather," he explained as he buttoned the last button. "Come. Esme will be overjoyed to see …"

Carlisle was not surprised when he turned to see that he was alone once again, the candles on either side of the altar flickering in the breeze caused by Edward's sudden departure. He heaved a great sigh and tried to think of what his next course of action should be to protect Isabella.

And how to save his son from himself.

**~STTBW~**

**Hope you liked this peek into Edward's past and my, he's a stubborn one, isn't he?**

**This week is another busy one—VBS at my church, and I'm a station leader so I don't get a lot of down time to plot and plan Edward's return to 'the castle' and to Isabella…that would be completely inappropriate to do while surrounded by preschoolers.**

**Now once I get home, that's another story…if I can move. LOL!**

**No guarantees on review replies and teasers this week, but I will do my utmost.**

**Thank you for your continued support. It truly means the world to me.**

**DeJean**


	11. Chapter 11

**Better late than never, right? More at the end, lovelies!**

**Oh, and I still only own the plotline (and a wicked lobstah red sunburn on my back…)**

Chapter 11

Wrapped in one of the plush cotton towels she had been provided, Isabella teased the last snarl from her long, brown hair before placing an exquisitely carved ivory comb on the table next to the bathtub. She had enjoyed the hot water and the lovely soap and even washed her hair, a treat she had not indulged in since the end of summer. Her still-damp locks now hung down her back, almost reaching her waist in thick, subtle waves.

She turned toward the bed and carefully touched the deep blue fabric of the dress that had appeared, almost afraid it would disappear the same way her old clothes had while she had bathed. The cotton was so soft and the silvery-gray stitching up the bodice so finely done, she was certain a fairy had made it. Isabella admired the embroidery designs, wondering if they meant something special or if they were just for decoration.

"Oh, how lovely," Isabella whispered to herself as she dropped the towel and reached for the cream-colored underclothes.

To her surprise, the dress and underpinnings that had appeared on the bed fit her perfectly and were the finest garments she had ever worn, making her feel as though she was a treasured princess locked in an ivory tower instead of a lowly peasant kidnapped and held heaven-knows where.

Isabella gazed at her reflection in a huge mirror that seemed to appear by magic in a far corner of the room.

"But that's ridiculous," she muttered under her breath. "Mirror's don't just appear."

Isabella decided she had just not noticed it before and went to stand in front of it. Isabella gasped at the image before her. She looked almost pretty, she thought, moving closer for a better look. Her father had always said her mother had been a rare beauty and that he had been blessed by the angels that she had fallen in love with him. Charles had also told her that she favored her mother with the exception of her eye color—that was completely his.

Isabella stood a little straighter as she admired her reflection and spun around to look at herself from all angles. This house surely had magical capabilities if it could turn her, a sow's ear, into a silk purse.

A soft click caught her attention, and she whirled around, expecting the handsome man to be standing behind her, but she was disappointed to find herself alone.

"Hello?" Isabella called out in a soft voice.

She received no answer, but the door leading out of the room slowly opened a few inches.

"Is someone here?"

Isabella cautiously approached the door but found no one present. Curious as to what secrets might be outside her door, she peered down the hall.

"I'm not trying to escape," she called out to no one in particular. "I'm just exploring!"

Isabella thought she heard a deep, muffled laugh, but it was quickly silenced after what almost sounded like someone being slapped.

She looked down the long hall, first one way and then the other, trying to decide which way to go. Noticing a door to the left was open, she crept cautiously down the hall, her toes sinking into the thick, luxurious carpet. Not even the sheriff's home had such finery, she told herself, even though she had never been anywhere near the Newton estate. She giggled as the soft fibers tickled her feet before venturing further.

"Anyone here?" Isabella called as she peered into the open room.

Eyes wide, a gasp escaped from her lips as she realized this was the library. Even in the warm, friendly light of just the crackling fire, she knew this was an amazing place. Rows upon rows of books from floor to ceiling greeted her. Slowly, reverently, she took a step inside the room and spun around, soaking in the sights and smells. This had to be heaven, she thought to herself.

Then she saw it- a deep burgundy velvet over-stuffed chair placed next to a fireplace, just as she had asked Jacob weeks ago if he thought such a thing existed in 'the castle.' He had scoffed at her question, but in her heart of hearts, nothing could be more perfect.

With a noise that fell somewhere between a gasp and a squeal, Isabella quickly walked over to the chair and lightly caressed the high back.

Realizing the noise that had come from her, she clasped her hands over her mouth as if to push the sounds back in, which only made her giggle with delight.

Isabella looked around the room, trying to decide which bookshelf to explore first. Selecting one, she danced over and began reading the titles.

Unbeknownst to her, Isabella was not alone in the library. Perched atop the rolling ladder in a dark corner of the room, Edward watched her flit back and forth in stony silence.

Her mind was open to him again, and he listened in on her thoughts as she took in the sights before her. Edward did not question why he was able to hear the inner workings of her mind, but he was happy that he could.

Isabella was naturally curious, he discovered. Edward had been to too many Guard-sponsored social functions where simpering and kowtowing were as natural as breathing had been when he was a human. He was biased and jaded as to the motivation behind such behaviors. Isabella had no ulterior motive, it appeared. She treasured each tidbit of information as some might horde gold, and she soaked up every kernel she could.

He was fascinated and for once in his life, allowed himself to be so. Leaning forward, Edward rested his elbows on his knees and watched as Isabella cautiously pulled a book from its spot. She carefully cradled it in her arms as she walked over to the chair by the fireplace.

Isabella nestled herself in the overstuffed chair, sighing blissfully as she reverently opened the book and began reading.

_Gee views Amy. Gee views adoray. Queue views luh views inconcorday. Ember acie moie._

Edward was confused. What book had she pulled down he wondered as he subconsciously leaned forward to get a better view. Then he listened to Isabella's thoughts and realized she had no idea what she was reading as well. She flipped through a few pages and began to read again, albeit with more than a hint of frustration.

_Mon ahmoray east uneh pechay…_

With a grunt and a sigh, Isabella slammed the book shut. Instantly appalled at her treatment of the volume, she caressed the cover, internally apologizing, earning a silent chuckle from Edward. The ladder squeaked as it rocked back and forth on its rail.

Isabella's head shot up, and she looked around the room in a panic.

"Is someone here?" she whispered, trying her best to hide the tremor in her voice. Her heart beat faster in fear, although it was uncertain as to whether she was afraid of being caught, or of being caught by _him_.

Edward remained silent.

"Hello?" Isabella queried again, standing as she clutched the book to her chest.

"Hello, Isabella," he finally replied in a low voice, watching her with an intensity that made her blush.

Edward stared at her for a few moments and the action made Isabella fidget. She remembered how cold he had been when she first awoke and how he had insisted on her responding. Her manners kicked in and she instantly thought of all of the gifts he had arranged for her to receive.

"Thank … Thank you for the clothes. And the food. And …" She waved one hand in the air.

"Was everything to your approval?"

The detachment in his voice gave her pause, and she stepped back from him just a bit before the memories of the bread and fruit and cheese and the copper tub of hot water and… A huge smile graced her face as she mentally enumerated what he had arranged for her.

"Oh, yes. It was beyond anything I had ever experienced!" Isabella immediately thought of every detail from the scent of the soap to the sweet yeasty taste of the bread, and Edward realized he was exceptionally pleased by her joy in the simple things he had provided.

Edward paused as he tried to decipher just why he was delighted, quirking his head to the side as he thought. After a moment, he merely shook himself. Carlisle's words were still echoing through his mind, and he found himself a bit numb.

"I hope I do not offend, but I was trying to read one of your books," Isabella said, interrupting him from his thoughts.

He gazed over at her, quickly reading the title of the book still clasped to her breast. A slow smile graced his face. He now knew why he could not understand what she was reading. Isabella gasped at the transformation in his appearance, for it truly was remarkable. Where a stony gargoyle perched atop the bookcase once had been, now a handsome young man sat.

"That is an introduction to French conversation, Isabella," he finally said, placing both hands on the rails of the ladder before sliding down.

Edward's shoes clicked on the hardwood floor as he approached. He held out one hand, silently asking her for the book. Isabella handed it over without a word.

"Je vous aime. Je vous adore," he read in a deep, smooth voice. "Que voulez-vous encore? Embrassez-moi."

Edward paused to see if she knew what he had said. When it became obvious that she did not, he translated.

"I love you. I adore you. What do you want again? Kiss me."

Isabella had no idea what he had just said, but just listening to the sounds made her weak in the knees, and she tumbled backward into the red chair as he repeated the words in English.

Her mind was flooded with the vision of him sitting in the chair with her curled up at his feet, one of his hands caressing her hair while the other held a book as he read to her over a cold winter's night.

"Are you quite all right?"

"What? Yes. Oh, yes. Just lost my footing."

She smiled just a touch too brightly up at him, forgetting he knew exactly what thoughts were running through her mind. For an instant, he found himself desiring exactly what she had envisioned, even adding a soft kiss on her temple as she looked up at him adoringly.

A soft kiss that grew in intensity until he swept her up and carried her off to…

"I am not the romantic type, Isabella," he suddenly announced, once again turning into the cold bastard that had once been at the peak of the Guard's exclusive inner circle. "Be sure to put anything you disturb back in its rightful place."

And with that, he left, leaving her gawping in silence as she watched him hastily depart from the room.

**~STTBW~**

**Thank you for your patience. I went to a wedding this past weekend (Beach! Sun! Sand! Relaxation! Aforementioned sunburn!), but the house I stayed at had no Internet (Withdrawals! Tension! No writing! No postings!).**

**So, now I'm at my in-laws' through the 4th, and this morning I went through the red pen magic Sunflower Fran worked on the chapter and here we are. I am hoping to get the next chapter up on Monday but it may be delayed, as well. It just depends upon how much help in the garden my MIL wants (gotta stay in her good graces—she shares her bounty with us!) Thank you for your patience. **

**I always love hearing what you think so please click that review button or PM me! I even lurk on a few Facebook pages and love reading those comments.**

**Have a fabulous Fourth of July (hey, whether you're American or not, you have a 4****th**** of July)**


	12. Chapter 12

**It's still Monday, right? At least where I am…**

**Healing vibes sent to my beta, Sunflower Fran ~~~***~~~ Even though she's a bit under the weather, she worked her magic on this chapter (and then I went and added a little bit, because, you know, I had to do it).**

Chapter 12:

Edward blindly rushed down the hall, wanting to go anywhere that wasn't closer to _her_. He had heard her confused thoughts tinged with just a hint of growing anger at his words and actions as he left the library.

Anger.

Anger was good.

He could deal with her anger toward him, but the tenderness she felt made Edward wary and unsure.

His entanglements in Volterra were rewarding in a purely physical manner. Neither he nor his partner cared for each other beyond the talents that brought each other to sexual satisfaction, and, therefore, there had been no jealousy, no insecurity, and certainly no tenderness.

He rubbed his temples in frustration as he heard the mantra go through his mind over and over.

_Emotions are paramount to weakness and weakness is not tolerated by those in the Guard._

Aro, Caius, and Marcus had repeated over and over that vampires were at the top of the pecking order and therefore above such human failings as emotions. It had been ingrained in his brain so many times that the philosophy had become a way of life, a second nature. As a result, Edward had hardened his heart for decades, looking out for no one other than himself.

However, Isabella was different, and Edward had no idea whether this pleased him or frightened him. Neither of the options were something he was not at all used to feeling. Unbeknownst to him, Edward rubbed the space over his heart absentmindedly.

_Now where does that boy keep his teacups?_

Edward paused. He knew that voice.

"Esme?" he murmured.

Without realizing it, Edward found himself heading toward the kitchen in a trot. Sure enough, there stood the woman he had thought of as his mother for decades. Her face lit up in a radiant smile as he appeared in the doorway. Warm, loving memories flooded his mind as she remembered awakening as a vampire in the presence of Carlisle and his son, Edward. They were an instant family, and although the son was a bit standoffish, she had loved him immediately.

"There you are! Where are your teacups?" she asked, closing a cabinet door as she spoke.

"I haven't unpacked the kitchen," he replied automatically before the preposterousness of the situation struck.

His diet, since he had awoken had been blood, and he certainly was not going to consume that from his mother's fine china teacups. While he never would have need of the useless things, they would always be with him as one of the few tangible items he had left of his human life.

"Isabella likes her tea slightly sweet with milk," Esme said with her hands on her hips. "And you can't have proper tea without a proper cup."

Edward got the feeling that it would be entirely his fault if Isabella did not get what Esme thought the young woman needed. So, without thinking twice, he dashed off to the storage room where the crates of china were kept. It was not until he returned with the desired items in hand that he realized what he had done. Why did he care what cup Isabella drank from? Yet a small voice inside his head said it did matter. Making her smile was of utmost importance.

Mechanically placing a fine bone china cup and saucer on the counter, he slowly sat down in the chair next to the fireplace in the kitchen while Esme hummed to herself as she prepared the pot and cups for tea. Her thoughts ranged from keeping a careful distance between herself and the fire to how long to heat the water, to the weather outside.

Edward stared at the tableware with its translucent white sheen and little purple flowers gracing the edges. He remembered just how much pride his mother exuded every time she pulled out those pieces to use for company. His father had brought them back from some trip or another and had seemed pleased at her reaction. He had always thought such poppycock was frivolous, but now, he was not quite sure he felt the same way.

"Why are you here?" Edward demanded quietly, unable to keep silent any longer.

Esme turned toward him with a warm smile after checking the state of the water heating on the fire. She wiped her hands on a scrap of cloth and laid it on the counter before approaching Edward. Her mind was filled with peace and nothing but love for him which is why he was completely unprepared when she approached and smacked him hard on the back of the head.

"What was that for?" he demanded, grabbing the sore spot.

Esme had never struck him, even when she was the most disappointed in his actions. In fact, she had never even raised her voice when his behavior had displeased her.

"Someone needed to knock some sense into your idiotic head. I thought if I did it literally to begin with, you would be more likely to listen to what I have to say."

With the sweetest of smiles, she turned toward the table and dragged a chair closer to him. Esme sat down, adjusted her skirts primly, and set her gaze on her oldest child. Edward kept his eyes trained on her as he sat, still rubbing one hand over his head. A human would have succumbed to a cracked skull from Esme's actions, but for a vampire, all Edward would endure was a minor headache.

"You know I love you with all my heart, Edward, but there are times you are without a doubt, the most troublesome man in all of creation."

"Exaggerate much?" Edward said with a wince. At the moment, even thinking was painful. "That hurt!"

"I had to think of some way to get your attention."

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes."

He shook his head.

This girl, this Isabella and everything surrounding her was changing the world surrounding him. Whether it be his habits, his behaviors, his expectations, and even his reactions, something was shifting within him and it was most disconcerting.

"You have been around Rosalie and Emmett too long," Edward finally muttered.

"And you, not enough. Their relationship works. Alice and Jasper's works. As does Carlisle's and mine. All different, but all successful. And you know why?"

"Fear of getting cracked on the head?"

"No," she said with a laugh. "The fact that being without the one you love and need is greater than the fears you may have."

"I have no fears." He sat up straight in his chair, once again taking on the look of a proud member of the Guard.

Esme sat back and gazed at him in stoic silence for a few moments. The longer she looked at him, the more uncomfortable he felt. This woman had been with him for decades. She had seen him at his worse, and had, for lack of a better word, loved him unconditionally through it all.

And Edward had thrown it in her face when he left to join the Guard.

"Care to think about that a little more?" Esme answered softly.

Edward silently thought about what she had said. And about what Alice had seen. And about what Carlisle had said. A thousand questions and answers ran through his mind at lightning speed, leaving him more agitated than soothed.

Esme gently laid one hand atop his clenched fist.

"What you need to decide is who Isabella is to you. Is she just a possession or more?" she murmured softly.

"More?"

He had never believed himself worthy of more and, therefore, had never desired more for himself. But everything that was happening now made him wonder.

She squeezed his hand lovingly.

"Right now, a delightful young woman who has caught the heart of my beloved first child sits alone in a dark room, unknowing of where she is or what is going to happen to her."

"I have no heart, Esme." He refused to meet her eye as she intentionally tried to get him to look at her.

"Really? So why did you leave a fresh kill where she and her father could find it?"

"I thought they could use it. Better that than let it rot in the woods."

"Hmmm… And what had you done with every other kill you made before you learned she had a love for venison?"

Edward closed his eyes and shook his head.

"And how did you feel when she enjoyed listening to you play the organ in Carlisle's church?"

Without answering, he brought one hand up and ran it through his carefully coiffed hair, effectively mussing it, the leather tie that held it in a neat queue falling to the floor.

He had been so pleased by her praise and how she had defended his music to that dreadful sheriff when he had arrived. It had meant so much more than the hollow words he had received from Caius or Aro when he had performed in the Cathedral of Volterra. Hers had come from a full heart overflowing with joy. Their words had come for the benefit of the others in the audience, to bring attention to their treasured member of the Guard.

"And why did you bring her here tonight?"

"Because Alice saw that Sheriff Newton was going to take her father away, and that she would be alone when he sends a deputy back to burn the house down in an effort to force her to town."

"Why not let her fall into the sheriff's hands?"

The sound of oak cracking as Edward crushed the armrest of the kitchen chair filled the air.

_That's two horses you owe me!_

Edward rolled his eyes as he heard Rosalie gloat to her husband. The two had apparently placed a bet on whether he could talk with the woman they all thought of as their mother without breaking something. He was a little surprised that Emmett had faith in his ability to remain in control. That was until further listening into their thoughts revealed Emmett had believed Edward would bolt from the house rather than listen to Esme.

"Edward," Esme said softly, calling his attention back to her. "Sweet boy."

He hesitantly met her eyes, earning a broad smile. Her thoughts were nothing but positive. She wanted him to realize Isabella was good for him. She wanted him to work toward being the right one for her.

"You have so many marvelous qualities. You have just wandered off the right path for a short while." Esme brushed a wayward lock back out of his eyes. Her mind filled with hope that he was returning to their family.

"I've been with the Guard for nearly half a century," he muttered through gritted teeth.

She smiled softly. Esme never said that being with the Guard had the wrong path. Far be it for her to make such a judgement on her children's choices. Yet now Edward saw that perhaps it had not been the wisest of choices, and she was pleased with his assessment.

"Maybe it was necessary to bring you here to this place and time," Esme whispered.

"I don't believe…"

"You may not, but I do. I always hoped … and prayed you would return to us. To where _you_ are loved for who _you_ are. Not collected because you hold a certain ability or trait, but because we want you around just because you're Edward."

A soft knock on the kitchen door brought their attention around. Rosalie stood there, clad in an elegant, white brocade dress, looking like an angel or a wraith, depending upon the set of her face. At the moment, her visage was much more vengeful than peaceful. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back and her eyes flashed as black as wet onyx.

"Alice said it's time. Emmett and Jasper have taken everything from the house and packed it up. The world will be less one deputy tonight."

"And Alice is certain Charles and Isabella will be fine with losing the only place they have ever lived?" Esme asked, ever concerned for the well-being of another.

Rosalie nodded.

"She said it they will be fine. Of course, if Isabella and Edward form some sort of relationship, the home will no longer be necessary."

Esme nodded while Edward stared into space, not acknowledging either's presence. Rosalie looked back and forth between the two before shrugging on a black cape and heading for the door.

"Rosalie?" Edward said suddenly as her hand touched the knob.

"Yes?"

He looked up at her, his eyes meeting hers.

"Be careful."

She smiled wickedly before nodding, raising her hood, and disappearing into the night.

~STTBW~

Deputy Rupert trudged through the icy cold rain, struggling with a heavy rucksack and a torch as he made his way down the muddy road. He muttered to himself as he went, replaying Isabella's assault on his male parts earlier in the day. The chit would pay for that, he swore, rubbing himself soothingly.

"Damn bitch. She'll be on 'er knees beggin' when I'm done with 'er. Good place for 'er to be."

He punctuated every word with a sloppy step through the muck.

"Sheriff says burn 'er out, I'll burn 'er out." Rupert looked up at the shadowy surroundings and saw the small home of Charles and Isabella Swan in the distance.

"Don't mean I can't have some fun before I do."

He hoisted the rucksack further up his shoulder and made his way closer to his destination.

Rosalie watched from a distance, taking care not to breathe for the stench that arose from Deputy Rupert made her wonder if he had ever seen the damp side of water. She imagined he had not.

Rosalie had heard enough by the time Rupert had reached the Swan home. She carefully unfastened the bow that held the cape and laid it on a rock, well sheltered from the rain before turning back toward the house and her prey.

Rupert, completely unaware that he was being watched, pulled out a flask and took a heavy draw from it before replacing the cork and shoving it into his pocket.

"First things first," he muttered, dropping the rucksack on the ground with a loud clank before stabbing the torch into the ground so it remained upright and burning.

He reached into the bag and pulled out a length of cord and a piece of dirty cloth. Both of these items had been given to him by the sheriff to bind Isabella should she not come willingly after her home was burned down. Rupert then pulled out a large canister and removed the cork. He looked around as if he expected to see someone. Finding himself alone, he started splashing the contents on the walls of the house.

He then banged on the door.

"Istanbul Swan! Open this door by order of the Sheriff!"

In a flurry of white, Rosalie ran past the house, fast enough to catch Rupert's attention, but not slow enough that he could register what or who it was. He turned back to his task at hand only to see another blur of white go by.

"Who's there?" he demanded, spinning around. Rupert looked out at the dark forest surrounding the house but heard nothing other than the constant click-click-click of the rain falling.

"I know someone's there! Show yourself!"

Rosalie laughed, loud and throaty. It echoed through the night.

Rupert instantly remembered tales his mother had told him of ghosts and beasts in the woods after dark. As a child, he had been frightened, but as a man, he had put aside such simple fears. Until now.

"Show yourself!"

"Show yourself!" Rosalie mimicked, a white blur circling around and around the house.

Had she moved slower, Rupert would have realized she was dancing, but to his eyes, he only saw white.

Rupert turned and banged louder and harder on the door, begging and pleading for the door to open. As if on cue, it creaked and gave way. In an instant, he was inside, leaning against the door with all his weight to secure it closed.

"There's something out there!" he gasped, fully expecting to find Isabella inside the house with him.

"_No, there's not."_

"Yes, there is! I seen it with my own eyes." Rupert panted and felt his heart beat faster and faster. He squeezed his eyes shut as if to block out the memory of the wraith he would have sworn he saw.

"_It's not out there."_

A sudden sense of dread washed over Rupert. He slowly raised his head and ever so carefully opened his eyes.

Standing before him in all her glory was Rosalie, her back straight and proud. She slowly smiled at him, a wicked, evil grin gracing her face, her fangs glinting in the dim light.

"Boo!" she whispered.

Rupert's eyes widened before everything went black, and he slumped to the dirt floor. The doomed human had fainted, but not before losing control of his bowels.

Rosalie rolled her eyes in disgust before setting about the next stage of her plan.

Whether it was mere minutes later or hours before he awoke, Rupert had no idea. He tried to stand only to find himself tied to a chair in the center of an empty house, his mouth covered in the same cloth intended for Isabella. Struggling against the bindings, he quickly realized it was useless.

One by one, the four sets of shutters on the windows banged open. A moment later, the only door opened. There stood Rosalie, torch in hand.

"Proper ventilation is so vital for a successful fire," she said, motioning toward the windows. "Even in this rain, with the help of the oil you so gratefully spread over the house, it should burn quite nicely."

Rupert struggled in his bindings and tried to plead for his life, but it was no use.

With a salute, Rosalie threw the torch at the house and watched as the flames quickly surrounded all four walls before she turned and made her way back to Edward's home. There was no need to watch the carnage, for Alice had assured her the good deputy would no longer be hurting anyone.

**~~STTBW~~**

**Forgot to mention for the last chapter…the little French conversation bit? Yeah, that was the first thing I had to memorize way back in 8****th**** grade French class. Monsieur Trudeau was a distant second to Edward, sadly. There was more to the assignment, but I cut it down to fit the scene. Just a random tidbit.**

**There is a 50-50 chance I'm going to be called on to chaperone a youth trip next week so if you don't hear from me, I'm at the beach again. If you do, I'm not. Maybe I'll be done peeling by then.**

**Also, I have been asked to do an Author Spot for A Different Forest. I should get the questions this week and they will post possibly around the 22****nd****. I'll put the link in the next chapter when it happens. DH gave me a funny look when I squealed at the e-mail asking me, but I was shocked, amazed, and just wowed. One of the things mentioned was including a picture of me. I'm not sure about that, but I'll take a poll. You can DM me if you don't want to leave your vote in a review.**

**Please let me know what you thought of Esme and Rupert or just life in general. I'm going to respond to all reviews, but I cannot do a teaser this week. Sorry.**

**Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for readings. It means the world to me.**

**DeJean**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry, Fran…I futzed…Any errors are mine.**

Chapter 13:

From his chair, Edward stared blankly at some random spot on the floor while Esme fussed with the teapot and cookies. From the floor above, the two heard footsteps as Isabella paced in the library.

"I am not the romantic type, Isabella," they both heard her mutter.

Edward winced as he heard his own words thrown back at him.

Esme peeked over at her son, a half-smile gracing her lips. Yes, Isabella would be just the person her son needed to bring him back to the family. She did not fall at his feet in a swoon over his looks, and his wealth meant nothing to her, unlike most of those at court in Volterra. Additionally, she seemed more annoyed than entranced by his mind-reading capabilities.

Isabella was intelligent, compassionate, and caring, just the type of person one would want as a daughter-in-law, Esme thought with a broad grin. She chanced a glance over at her son, discovering he was so absorbed in attempting to listen to Isabella's thoughts, he paid her no mind.

Yes, Isabella was going to prove to be the answer to her prayers.

"Be sure to put anything you disturb back in its rightful place," they heard Isabella mutter in a deepened voice.

As he stared at the ceiling, Edward realized he could not hear Isabella's thoughts but recognized her attempt at imitating his brusque tone.

"What has you making such a face?" Esme asked, placing her hands on her hips, her brow wrinkled with concern.

"I can't hear her," Edward mumbled.

"Well, she's barefooted, and you're lost in…"

"No. Her thoughts. I can't hear them right now."

Esme pondered a moment before she nodded in understanding, a wan smile tugging at her lips. Yes, indeed, Isabella was quite a match for him.

Edward concentrated harder on Isabella's movements, trying to hear her thoughts but to no avail. The harder he tried, the more he failed and his frustration grew to the point Esme took his hands off the armrests of his chair in an effort to save them from more damage.

"It is entirely understandable that you are frustrated, but let's not damage the furniture, yes?" Esme murmured kindly, holding a beautifully prepared tray out to him. "When can you not hear her thoughts?"

Without thinking, Edward took the tray.

"An hour or so ago when she was in the bedchamber and once when she was sleeping. Now again."

Esme shook her head.

"Perhaps 'when' is not the best word. What has happened when her mind closes to you?"

Edward thought for a moment. He had claimed her as his and as she grew more agitated at the notion, her mind had closed. Then when she had a nightmare, her thoughts were silent to him. Now, she was angered at his coldness towards her and once again, he could not hear what went on in her mind.

"Fuck," he whispered.

"Language, Edward."

"My apologies," he replied automatically before pausing to think about what his mother had just said. "When she's upset or angered, I can't hear her thoughts."

"Then perhaps you best keep your mate happy."

"Mate? She's not my mate! She's human."

"And where does it say your mate cannot be human, Edward?"

Without another word, Esme firmly ushered Edward out of the kitchen and pointed toward the stairs.

_Mate._

Was it possible? Edward silently pondered as he carried the tea and cookies upstairs toward the library.

During the first fifty years of his existence as a vampire, he would have gone to Carlisle to ask what it meant and how to handle the emotions running through him. Over the last fifty years, he had shut away such a human quality. And now, he had the two sides of his personality fighting each other.

…_ought to put this in the wrong place…serve…right._

Edward brightened as he heard snippets of Isabella's thoughts as he approached the library. For some reason that he could not understand, he was pleased that she was calming down, though he was not content that she was pondering the notion of intentionally mis-shelving his book on French conversation with his musical scores. He quietly entered the library and discovered Isabella sitting in the middle of the floor with a box in her lap.

She startled at his arrival, causing a pang of guilt to settle in his chest. It was a sensation he had not felt in a long, long time, and he was certain he did not like it at all.

"I…I fear we have not been properly introduced," he said gently, taking the tray to a nearby table. "My name is Edward Cullen, and…"

"Cullen?" Isabella whispered, her eyes wide.

Edward paused. He had not used the Cullen name since he had left for Volterra, preferring to use his birth name of Edward Masen. But the words had rolled out of his mouth so naturally, he had not given them any thought.

"Are you related to Father Carlisle and Esme?"

He could not read the emotions flitting over Isabella's face, but he could hear the questions running through her mind.

"I was."

"Was?"

"I was their son." Edward picked up the fine mesh strainer and gently laid it over the teacup he had retrieved before pouring a cup. Silently, he prepared Isabella's tea exactly the way she liked it and held the china out to her.

"How?" Isabella cautiously took the cup, mentally remarking on just how lovely the fine paintings of purple irises were.

"How, what?" he asked, turning back to the tray and picking up the plate of cookies.

"How did you know how I like my tea? Are those Esme's sugar cookies?"

Edward smiled as she sat up on her knees to get a better look, careful not to spill her tea or rip her dress in the process. He held out the tray, and Isabella cautiously took one. She settled back down and took a sip of her tea, sighing happily at the first taste. The quick thought passed through Edward's mind that he would do almost anything to keep her as contented as she was in that very moment.

And then the memories of Aro's words came to the forefront of his mind.

_Emotions are paramount to weakness and weakness is not tolerated by those in the Guard._

Edward felt the stiffness creep into his very bones. His back straightened, and he knew his eyes grew cold as he watched Isabella dip her cookie into her tea and hum happily as she nibbled the crumbly goodness.

_Weakness_.

He turned away from Isabella, his hands clenched into fists as he tried to shake off the echo of Aro's words in his mind.

How could providing happiness in such a simple way be ever considered weakness? But he had never desired to cause anyone to experience pleasure or joy or happiness. His entire existence since he had been part of the Guard was filled with the pursuit of personal satisfaction and nothing else.

"How are you no longer Father Carlisle and Esme's son?" Isabella asked with a soft, sweet innocence, drawing him from his thoughts.

Edward took an unnecessary breath and released it ever so slowly.

"It is a long story."

Isabella snorted delicately and then giggled as she tried to cover her mouth to bring the sound back into her. He turned around to see a lovely blush coloring her cheeks. Her mind was filled with curiosity, and Edward found he wanted to satisfy her every whim, but he had no idea of where to start.

"I'm sorry, but unless you plan to take me home immediately, which based off our introduction, I do not see happening, I have nothing but time to listen."

He shook his head at the suggestion of taking her home. The fact that her home was now a pile of smoldering ash was purely beside the point.

She patted the floor next to her and looked up at Edward expectantly.

"At least sit with me and enjoy a cup of tea. I'll even share Esme's cookies, and they are my favorite treat in the entire world."

Isabella smiled genuinely up at Edward. He continued to gaze at her without speaking a word.

Her thoughts bounced from wondering if she had offended him to questioning where she was to admiring how the firelight cast its shadows around the room to noticing his hair was no longer pulled back into a severe queue but was loose and tousled. Isabella wondered if it was as soft as it looked before her mind quickly shifted to the realization she was staring at him and he had not said a word.

Edward paused a moment more before holding a hand out to her.

"You win, Isabella. I will tell you why I am no longer Carlisle and Esme's son if you will do me the favor of sitting with me somewhere other than on the floor. It cannot be comfortable for you."

Isabella smiled and took his hand, thinking she rarely sat anywhere else than on the floor, a revelation that Edward vowed to change.

"You are so cold!" she remarked as took his hand and stood. "Perhaps you need the tea more than I do?"

Isabella offered her cup, but Edward politely declined.

"It is nothing to be concerned about."

She gave him a look that said she did not believe for a moment what he was telling her but allowed him to usher her to a red velvet loveseat that had not been there a few moments before.

Isabella gasped and he heard the confusion run through her thoughts.

"More invisible servants?" she asked in a voice full of wonder and awe.

"Not hardly," Edward said with a laugh, knowing the revenge Alice would wreak on his life if he ever deigned to call her a servant.

He allowed her to choose her seat before refilling her teacup, sweetening it properly, and then sat next to her.

"Very few know my story, Isabella. Fewer know the full story."

She nodded and prepared herself to listen.

Edward paused. To reveal what he was, what he had done, who he had served… To reveal this information to an outsider was paramount to treason in the eyes of the Volturi. There would be no going back to his place with the Guard if he did.

_Tell her from the very beginning,_ Alice's voice lilted through his mind.

He thought for a moment, his mind racing through potential outcomes of telling the true story of his life. Memories of his life with the Cullen family and as a member of the Guard flooded his mind. The gentle clink of a cup being placed on a saucer brought his attention back to Isabella who waited patiently for him to speak.

_Mine._

Looking at Isabella's relaxed yet expectant face, he knew what decision he had to make.

**~STTBW~**

**So, my dear reviewer (sorry, I don't remember which one) that was upset that Edward's hair was in a severe queue, happy that it's now a tousled mess? There was a method to my madness!**

**Hello, my friends! It has been an eventful few weeks…but I think I'm finally back on the writing track.**

**My beta, Sunflower Fran, has created a new Facebook Group called Pay it Forward. It has recommendations of fabulous WIPs and more!**

**Speaking of Facebook, I finally decided to create a page of my own. So, if you're of a mind, do a search for DeJean Smith and find my **_**She tames the beast within**_** banner.**

**My interview with A Different Forest got delayed by vacation and real life on their part, but no worries—it should be in the works soon! I will keep you posted.**

**Let me know what you think, please, and I'll see you next Monday!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Happy first day of school! Yep, today my girls start 9****th**** and 7****th**** grades respectfully. I don't know who's more excited.**

**I had 3 things I wanted to cover in this chapter, but I only got to 2 of the 3. Edward's talk with Bella will be the next chapter. Sorry, but these two parts spoke the loudest.**

**Also, Fran was on vacation this past week, so this chapter is without her red pen magic.**

Chapter 14:

In a dark, damp rock-walled cell, Charles pulled his threadbare coat tighter around himself as he crouched in a corner, but it did little good. Thanks to the downpour of rain he had trudged through, his clothes were soaked and his beaten body chilled to the bone. It seemed there was no warmth to be had in the tiny cell Deputies Rupert and Hubert had forcibly deposited him and the darkness added to the desolate feeling.

How long had it been since he had been taken from his home?

Probably just a matter of hours, he surmised. Dawn would be breaking anon, but based on the steady rain he heard falling outside a pane-less window high above, light would not be filling this dark space any time soon.

His mind wandered to his only reason for fighting. Isabella.

What would become of his daughter, now alone in their tiny home? A quick but fervent prayer was offered up for her protection and care.

Would Sheriff Newton go back for her? Would he force her to comply and become his wife? Would the deputies return to the woods in an attempt to take their revenge and thereby Isabella's innocence?

No. Charles shook his head violently, awakening the pain in the rapidly blackening eye he now sported. A quick testing of his jaw ensured him it was not broken but not for lack of trying on the part of Rupert and Hubert. A deep breath warned that a rib or two might be cracked, so it was shallow breaths in his future. Then his thoughts returned to his daughter.

No. Isabella would not be married off to that swine of a sheriff.

Father Carlisle was a good man, an honest man. There would be no possibility of him agreeing to conduct the ceremony. And the Catholic priest was spending the month in another town, so it was a Protestant officiant or nothing at all.

But what was going to happen to her? He should have told her to go to William's once the sun rose. William would watch over her and protect her until—

Charles realized he had no idea what was going to happen to him. Would Sheriff Newton hold to what he had said and call the magistrate in or would Charles simply disappear?

A muffled voice brought his attention around. Straining to hear what was said, Charles finally pulled himself toward the heavy, wooden door. He crouched close to the ground to hear what he could through the two inch-high space between the floor and the bottom of the door.

"No visitors!"

Charles recognized Deputy Hubert's voice and wondered who was with him.

"Visitor? I'm not here to visit anyone."

Charles knew he had heard that voice before, but was unable to place it.

"I'm here to invite you to the newest watering hole, The Bella Donna Rose."

"I ain't no horse. I don't need waterin'."

A hearty chuckle from the unknown man echoed through the cell. Charles was certain he had heard that sound before, but again the when and where escaped him. Who did he know that would be willing to risk imprisonment to visit him in the jail?

"Food and drink, my man! Food and drink. And the lovely Rose as entertainment."

Charles heard a grunt from Hubert as the unknown man must have clapped a hand hard on his back.

"Free for our town's law enforcement officials."

"Free for who?"

A sharp mind among minds, Hubert was not.

"Deputies. Food's free for deputies. Drink, too."

There was a pause as Hubert thought about this turn of events. It had been a long time since he had last eaten. His stomach rumbled in agreement. And the pain in his head from where the prisoner had conked him with a stick of firewood could use a little deadening that strong drink would provide.

But then there was the issue of said prisoner. He could not exactly leave him here unguarded.

"Good food?"

"Heavenly."

"Strong drink?"

"You'll think you've died after the first one."

Hubert thought for a few moments about what he was being offered and what his responsibilities were.

"I tell you what," came the unknown man's voice. "What say I stay here and watch your prisoner. He's not exactly going to go anywhere, now, is he?"

"Not likely. Rupert and me softened him up good."

"Then me watching the door and making sure he doesn't leave shouldn't be a problem."

Charles noticed a marked drop in the friendliness of the man's voice, in fact it was almost icy in tone. But Hubert did not notice, his mind already focused on a warm meal, strong drink, and the potential entertainment this Rose might offer.

"A'right. I'll go. Just to fortify myself. Not long a-tall."

"Sounds like a winning plan. Wish I had thought of it. Now here's how to get to The Bella Donna Rose. First you…"

Charles wondered just what was the stranger trying to do. What purpose did it fulfil for him to be left alone in this tiny cell? It was not as though he could escape and walk home. Sheriff Newton would merely find him and arrest him again, this time with the added charge of escape. Isabella would possibly be thought of as an accomplice and that would never do.

"He's gone," came the stranger's voice. "Step back from the door, Charles. I'm going to open it up."

Charles wondered how the man knew he was close to the door as he backed away. There was no way the deputy would be stupid enough to leave a set of keys so the visitor could open it, could there be?

With a groan of bending metal, the hinges creaked and moaned before popping. The heavy, oak door dropped to the floor with a dull thud before being lifted up and moved away from its frame.

"Hello, there, Charlie, my friend!"

The warm, smiling face of Emmett appeared in the dim light.

"Emmett? What are you doing here?"

"Prisoner's Aid Benevolence Society, at your service."

Emmett held up a large basket of warm clothes, bandages, and a pottery jug, and a smaller one that seemed to hold something that smelled delicious.

"But what about the deputy? The sheriff?"

"Oh, we aren't going anywhere. Not yet, at least."

Emmett laid the baskets down and approached, filling the doorway with his frame.

"I'm merely here to provide comfort and get you through the night. Maybe a little longer, but that will depend upon my Rosie."

Charles tilted his head and studied the taller man, questions forming in his mind.

"I do not want to know what your Rosie is doing right now, do I?"

Emmett grinned broadly, a wicked glint in his eye.

"Didn't think so."

Without another word, Emmett approached and helped Charles to his feet. Try as he might to hide the pain, Charles winced as he straightened.

"Sorry I couldn't be there to prevent this, Charlie."

Charles looked up into the face of the man beside him and was almost afraid of the fierce anger burning in Emmett's eyes.

"You couldn't have known…" Again, Charles cringed as he breathed just a little too deeply.

"Ah, but that is where you would have been wrong." He took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "But certain things have to happen." Emmett seemed to regather his emotions and the friendly demeanor quickly returned. "Now, let's get you patched up so you can eat before it gets cold."

~STTBW~

Rosalie looked around the empty shop she and Emmett had built and set up to resemble a respectable inn located at the very edge of town. In fact, The Bella Donna Rose was almost outside the established border and on the less reputable side of town, which made it quite appealing for her plan. There would be very few people out and about should Deputy Hubert put up a loud struggle and those that did hear would most certainly avoid Sheriff Newton if he were to come around and ask questions.

Everything was in place and it would only be a matter of time before Deputy Hubert would approach.

She listened. Ah, yes. There he was. Stumbling and muttering to himself as he made his way down the muddy road in the pouring rain.

Deputy Hubert opened the door to The Bella Donna Rose and tramped in, his muddy boots leaving a trail of muck behind and rain poured off of his clothes.

"I was told I could get food and drink here," Hubert announced, his eyes not yet adjusted to the bright light of the inn.

"Most certainly, sir. Please, come in."

Rosalie took his arm and guided him to a table already set with a plate of hot food and a tankard of drink.

Blinking rapidly, Hubert fell into a chair and tried to focus on what was before him.

"You were expecting me?"

"Here at The Bella Donna Rose, we try to anticipate the needs of all of our guests. It is just one of the services we offer."

Hubert looked up to face Rosalie, his eyes finally accustomed to the lighting. His jaw dropped as he fixated on the beautiful woman before him. She was still clad in the angelic white gown and her long, golden hair rippled down her back. He noticed a spray of purple flowers woven into her hair and thought they smelled particularly sweet.

"Don't let your supper get cold," she said with a warm smile before lightly walking over to the bar.

"I was told I'd get all I wanted," he called over his shoulder, his eyes not leaving the plate before him. "And for free."

Hubert looked down at the bounty before him in awe. He had never before seen such wonderful looking fare. More often than not, his meals consisted of gruel or porridge, but this appeared to be roasted chicken, and potatoes, and carrots, all covered in some sort of sauce with small, dark-colored berries scattered about.

"Oh, you will get your fill and all you deserve," Rosalie replied, a secret smile tugging at her lips. "Just let me know if you need more."

Without further delay, or even a light concern at good manners, Hubert dug into his meal. After a few moments, he drained his cup and banged it on the table.

Had he looked up, Hubert would have seen Rosalie's calm demeanor slip ever so slightly at his rudeness, but it was gone in the blink of an eye and his tankard instantly refilled.

Two more times, he called thus for drink and two more times, it was provided.

With a loud belch, Hubert tossed the plate back onto the table, having not even bothered with the napkin nor the silverware provided, preferring rather to just use his hands which he now wiped on his coat. He drained the last of his drink and looked around the room.

It finally dawned on him that he was alone with the fair serving wench.

"No one else here?" he asked.

"Does there need to be?" Rosalie answered sweetly.

"Not on my account."

Hubert pushed back from the table and watched as Rosalie appeared to be attending to the bar, rearranging bottles and glasses, her back currently toward him. He stood and took a few steps toward her before stumbling.

She turned and looked over at him, smiling encouragingly as he tried to mask his fumbling with a dance step or two. Hubert blinked a few times, trying to focus his eyes on the attractive wench before him, but it seemed like his eyes could not decide where to look. He blinked rapidly in an attempt to get them to work right but to no avail.

"Everything alright?" Rosalie asked, watching him carefully.

"Just wondering where my entertainment was. I was promised amusements."

Rosalie put down the bar rag and mug she was drying and gave Hubert her full attention. She watched as his face began to pale and a fine layer of sweat covered his brow.

"I think it is about time, now," she said with a broader grin.

Suddenly, Rosalie disappeared from view. Hubert spun around in a circle, trying to figure out where she went, only to discover her directly behind him. A wave of nausea overcame him as he tried to regain his sense of balance.

"There you are, my lovely," he murmured, taking a single step toward Rosalie before his vision blurred once again. As soon as she came back into focus, Hubert saw her long, golden hair slowly morph into dozens of hissing snakes.

"God's blood!" Hubert cursed, jumping back as Rosalie took a step toward him, a low laugh rumbling from her lips.

"Is something wrong?" Rosalie asked, her voice the pinnacle of innocence.

Hubert took another step back, this time stumbling over his own feet and crashing to the floor.

"Don't take another step, you demon!"

"Demon? That is hardly the appropriate thing to say to someone who just gave you food and drink. And it was made with the finest ingredients: fresh chicken, new potatoes, oh, and yes, the deadliest belladonna I could find."

He stared at her, blinking rapidly as if to attempt to get rid of the snake-haired woman and bring back the comely serving wench. But it was to no avail.

"Amazing thing, belladonna," Rosalie continued, circling around Hubert as his breathing grew more and more erratic. "Just a few berries can cause hallucinations and even death."

"Demon!" Hubert yelled, jumping to his feet and drawing his sword. He swung wildly at the snakes that only he could see.

Rosalie silently studied him, keeping well out of reach, as Hubert's hallucinations grew in intensity, and he swung wildly in a futile attempt to slay the snakes. Unbeknownst to him, with every lunge and parry, the belladonna that his food and drink had been liberally laced with was pumping through his body at a faster and faster rate.

Sweating profusely, Hubert began to tire and his motions grew sloppier and sloppier. Chairs and tables were overturned, creating a maze he could not escape. His curses as he banged into one wooden piece of furniture after another grew louder and louder.

Rosalie began to laugh at the buffoonery before her.

Hubert stopped and spun around to look at her, his sword at his side, his breathing ragged and irregular. With one last valiant effort and a battle cry, he lunched toward her, sword raised as if to run her through. But Hubert did not see overturned table in his path and tripped, falling on his own sword.

In his numbed state, Hubert barely felt the sharp prick of his blade pierce his soft abdomen at just the right angle to slide up under his ribs and to his heart. He lay on the floor of the inn, staring up at the ceiling, wondering mutely why everything was getting darker and darker.

Then, suddenly, a beautiful face appeared in his line of sight. It had to be an angel, coming to ferry him home, he thought, reaching up slowly to touch the visage before him. But then the face changed, ever so slightly, from one of peace to one of anger. Like an avenging angel, Rosalie loomed over Hubert as the light faded from his eyes.

"I hope the devil takes your soul and treats you as you have treated others in this life," she hissed, calling upon every bit of inner strength not to kick Hubert's now-dead body.

In the morning, The Bella Donna Rose would no longer exist, completely dismantled and done away with. Hubert's body would be found in the muck and the mud at the side of the road, his sword still lodged under his ribs. The stench of alcohol surrounding the victim would quickly lead all to believe he had gotten drunk and simply fell, and in all honesty, no one would mourn the loss.

And no one would be any the wiser.

**~STTBW~**

**Two deputies down…just the Sheriff left. But the next chapter will be Edward and Bella. I promise!**

**I have sent in my author spot interview with A Different Forest, and I just got notification that it is up! It was a lot of fun &amp; I hope you enjoy it. You can find it at Campfires/31459**

**Let me know what you thought of the chapter! I'll be doing review replies (catching up and new ones) today, so I look forward to hearing from you!**

***besos!* DeJean**


	15. Chapter 15

**My plot, her characters.**

**396 words added after Fran worked her red pen over it, so mistakes are mine…but the story needed them. Hope you agree!**

Chapter 15:

Out of the corner of her eye, Isabella noticed Edward watching her eat her cookies and sip her tea. She would give him all the time in the world to tell his story, though she had to admit it made her a little self-conscious to be studied so much. A soft blush colored her cheeks.

"Are you sure you don't want some tea or a cookie?" Isabella asked, waving the fine china plate with its last goody back and forth enticingly.

He shook his head and was pleased that she took it for herself. Once the tea and cookies were finished, she carefully placed the china on the floor and turned to give Edward her full attention.

"Now, you said you had a story for me," Isabella said expectantly.

Edward read her thoughts of how much she loved hearing stories. Visions of Carlisle teaching at the small school he had created within the church flooded her mind. The thoughts soon changed to other stories she had been told, some by townspeople, some by friends, and then her memories shifted to tales her father had told her.

A sudden sense of dread and remorse filled Isabella's mind.

Her father.

She had completely forgotten about her father. She had been so utterly dazzled by her surroundings that she given him no thought whatsoever.

"Your father is safe," Edward assured gently, answering her unspoken questions. "My brother has taken him warm clothes, bandages, and a hot meal."

"Bandages?" Isabella squeaked, her hands flying up to cover her mouth in horror.

"Minor injuries, I assure you. He will heal quickly."

Isabella fretted, wringing her hands as the worst possible scenarios of what happened to Charles played out in her mind. She knew the vindictiveness of the sheriff, and the deputies were little better. Prisoners were known to have entered the jail and to never return.

"I shouldn't have let him go. I could have fought and he…"

Edward took her hands in his to still them and waited for her to look at him.

"It had to be, Isabella. You would have been hurt far worse than you could imagine."

"No! You don't understand. I could have…"

_Tell her she would have been hurt the same way as Maggie._

Edward paused before relaying the information. Isabella's face hardened at the mention of the name. The quick image of a broken and battered woman flitted through her thoughts, and her mind once again closed to him. He suspected Maggie's story was much like Rosalie's.

"I'm sorry. I was told to…"

Isabella waved off Edward's apology. He did not know they had been the best of friends, one of the few girls her age that shared similar interests.

"I don't know how you knew about her, but…" She took a deep breath and tugged one hand free.

He noticed her hastily wipe away a tear and found himself growing angry that he had brought up such a disturbing memory.

"There are a lot of things about us that you are not supposed to know. Such knowledge can be quite hazardous for you."

Edward offered his handkerchief, but Isabella looked at it with confusion.

"For your tears," he murmured softly, but she still had no idea why he was offering her a piece of fine fabric and pondered why he had such a thing in his pocket.

Edward gently took the cloth, folded a point in it, and carefully daubed her eyes. She smiled shyly at his tenderness, a sight he discovered he would like to see over and over again. He again offered the handkerchief, which she took with a whispered thank you.

"Emmett has Charles safely attended to and enjoying the comforts of warm clothes and a good meal."

"Emmett? Your brother is Emmett?" Isabella sat up a little straighter at the implications of this information.

_I must be in the castle!_

Edward chuckled quietly at her excitement but also feared what the knowledge of her location might mean. Since she knew where she was, she could easily try to escape and find her way home, a place that no longer existed. He had to find a way to keep her with him.

_Tell her the truth, you idiot!_

"Thank you for the advice," Edward quickly murmured, low enough that Isabella could not hear him. "Any particular guidance as to how?"

Before Alice could respond, Edward had a flash of inspiration and realized how he could tell her.

_Yes!_

Edward stood and offered his hand to Isabella.

"If you would do me the honor of your company, I will tell you everything."

"Is it a sad story?" Isabella's thoughts told him that she did not wish to cause him pain. After the memory of Maggie, she completely understood not desiring to remember bad times.

"I had not thought so until I met you," he responded, accepting her hand and aiding her to her feet.

Edward realized he liked the faith and trust she placed in him and that he desired to keep them. It was an entirely foreign feeling, one he had not experienced since long before his indoctrination into the Guard.

Together they walked to a small storage room where Edward housed all his remembrances from his human life. Isabella's eyes widened at the wooden crates, all carefully marked with their contents. She spied one box, freshly opened, that had additional pieces of china that matched the ones she had just used.

"My mother's pride and joy," Edward commented. "Father brought that home from a voyage when I was eight. I was never allowed to touch it."

Isabella wondered if she should have held something so fragile and valuable. She watched as he selected a particular box and lifted the lid. Edward extracted a large parcel wrapped in thick cloth.

Upon its unraveling, Isabella realized it was a family portrait. She immediately recognized Edward and decided the other two had to be his parents. He had his mother's hair, but his father's strong jaw.

"Esme and Father Carlisle?" she asked, but the moment the words left her lips, she knew that was not the case. The features did not match the people she knew, but they did match Edward's.

Except for the eyes. In the portrait, Edward and his mother had green eyes-not the golden ones that now watched her every reaction.

"Elizabeth and Edward Masen," Edward quietly corrected. "I was their only child. Their pride and joy."

He looked at the portrait with a bit of wistfulness, remembering just how indulgent his parents had been to the whims of a young man.

"They died when I was seventeen. I almost died, as well."

"I am so sorry."

Edward knew without listening to her thoughts that she truthfully was sad for him, a feeling that made him more than a little uncomfortable. He was used to being envied, adored, and coveted.

Images of a younger Charles hemming and hawing in response to where someone named Renee was came to Edward, and he realized it was her mother. Isabella, too, had lost a parent, and felt a great deal of empathy toward him.

"It was a long time ago."

Isabella looked up at him curiously. Edward did not appear to be that much older than her. How, then, could it have been a long time ago?

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"But you said…"

Her question dropped off. Something about the way he looked at her told of the beginning of the secrets he had alluded to earlier.

"Ask me how long I have been seventeen."

Isabella stared mutely at Edward, wondering what sort of game he was playing. But the pleading look in his eyes, told her that she had to ask.

"How long have you been seventeen?" she murmured.

"Almost a hundred years."

"But…"

Isabella's mind raced from thought to thought, question to question over this information. Either he was the best liar she had ever met, or what he said was the truth, and that was something her mind just could not wrap itself around.

"I am the best liar," Edward said, holding up one hand to stop her immediate anger at this tidbit. "But I am not lying about this … What I am. I have to be the best liar. It is a matter of survival. But this? This is the absolute truth."

He took the portrait from her and gently laid it atop the crate where it had previously resided.

"My parents were Edward and Elizabeth Masen. When I was seventeen, a fever swept through our village. Very few survived. I would not have had Carlisle not changed me."

"Changed? Changed you to what?"

"Your wolf friend has not figured it out yet? My kind and his are not on the best of terms."

"Jacob? He has no enemies."

"Then he hasn't told you."

"Told me what?" Isabella's frustration level grew. "You're talking in circles."

"Have you ever exchanged fairy tales? Stories of times long ago? Tales that seemed to be just beyond the boundaries of reality?"

She paused, the sudden memory of stories told late one night around a fire, just after the harvest. At the time, Isabella had chalked up the tales of '_cold ones'_ and _'blood drinkers'_ as stories to scare small children or ones birthed from a little too much brewed drink.

"You don't have red eyes," she murmured, shocked when Edward nodded at her thoughts.

"I did when I first awoke."

"But…"

"Carlisle believed in only drinking from animals. It was a choice to help him keep what little of his humanity he had left. His children follow that tradition."

"I…" Isabella shook her head. The notion that this man beside her was a vampire was ludicrous. The tales cast them in a purely evil light, slaughtering innocents, stealing livestock, little more than savage beasts.

But Edward continued his story. Taking her hand, he gently guided her to the kitchen where Esme rushed back and forth, attending to several pots and pans simultaneously. She was more of a blur than an actual body, and Isabella's eyes widened at the sight.

"Hello, Isabella!"

"Hello, Esme," Isabella replied, her own greeting lacking the same level of brightness her friend's had.

"I am just preparing the next few meals. I wasn't sure what you might be in the mood for, and since I do not get to cook that much, I made a little bit of several things."

Isabella nodded mutely as she watched Esme look for a long fork and when she could not find it, plunged her hand into a pot of boiling water to extract a head of cabbage.

"Esme!"

She ran to her friend and grabbed her arm, looking for any sign of burns or scalds, but found only a slight pink tinge that faded before her eyes.

"I'm fine, dear." Esme turned toward Edward. "Taking her to the music room next?"

"If she doesn't go running screaming after that display."

"Sometimes a slap on the back of the head is the best way to convey information, darling boy."

"Don't remind me," Edward groused, rubbing the spot where he had received such a blow.

Esme laughed at her son before dropping a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Forgiven?" she smiled.

"I will think about it," Edward replied with a harrumph before he offered his arm and escorted a slightly dazed Isabella from the kitchen.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"I expect she's already healed. My family can be a little dramatic."

"I am beginning to see that, but she seems to care for you quite deeply."

Edward silently nodded as he led her down the hall toward the music room.

"So, for fifty years, I lived with Carlisle and Esme; sometimes as their son, sometimes as the younger brother of one of them."

"In the same place?"

"No. We moved every few years."

The unspoken '_how?_' rang through Isabella's mind. As someone who had never traveled beyond how far she could go in half a day, she could not imagine having the wherewithal to do such.

Edward opened the door to the music room and motioned for Isabella to lead the way. She took a few steps in and paused at the sight of a fortepiano.

"That was you! At Father Carlisle's church. That was you who played!"

He nodded, seeing through her eyes the memory of the event. Edward was more than pleased to note that in her thoughts when the performance had ended and the Sheriff had interrupted her praise, she restarted the reminiscence from the point he had begun to play.

"My mother taught me."

"She would be so proud…"

"No, she would not." He cut her off. Neither Elizabeth nor Esme would have been proud of who he was during his time in Volterra.

Edward led Isabella over to a painting on a far wall. It was of a walled city, turrets, cathedrals, and houses all rendered in amazing detail.

"That is Volterra. I left Carlisle and Esme fifty years ago to live there."

"It's beautiful!" Isabella approached cautiously, admiring the skill the painter had used to draw a viewer into the image.

"It's Sodom and Gomorrah."

She remembered the story from a sermon long ago.

"Then why go there?"

"Because it was where I thought I needed to be."

"But why?" Isabella honestly could not see why anyone would leave the love she knew Carlisle and Esme must have shared with Edward.

And Edward was beginning to wonder the exact same thing. What had lured him away? The answers were bubbling to the forefront of his mind, and he was not at all comfortable with them.

"I cannot give you an answer to that."

Isabella nodded silently and turned back to the painting.

"Were you happy?"

"Hmm?"

"There. Voltemorrah. Were you happy there?"

"Volterra," he gently corrected. "I thought I was."

"But you were away from your family."

"Yes."

"Did you have friends?"

Edward laughed. No one had friends in Volterra.

_Emotions are paramount to weakness and weakness is not tolerated by those in the Guard._

"Then why did you leave Carlisle and Esme to go there?"

"I wanted what they could not give me."

"And that was?"

Edward looked down at Isabella, so innocent in her questions. She truly had no idea what Pandora's box she was trying to open.

"Everything I wanted," he finally replied in a low voice.

"Oh."

Isabella turned her attention back to the painting, studying it silently, wondering what it would be like to walk those streets.

"So why did you leave?"

"I was banished because I killed someone."

Without realizing it, Isabella took a step away from him.

Good.

This was good.

She needed to fully comprehend what he was. It would more than likely destroy him, but he was beginning to think she needed to be as far away from him as possible, to save her goodness and light.

"Did he deserve it?" she asked in a meek voice.

She had been witness to more than one execution, so the notion was not completely foreign to her.

Edward thought for a moment, remembering the events that led up to Marcus' death.

"It would depend upon who you ask."

Isabella silently nodded; trying her best to process all of the information she had been given. Her mind was running in circles, chasing one thought only to jump to another.

A huge yawn escaped her lips, and she guiltily grinned up at Edward as she tried to hide it from him.

"You have had quite a bit information given to you," Edward said, taking her arm and leading her toward the room she had awoken in just a few hours before. "Perhaps you would like to lie down and rest?"

Isabella nodded, her eyes growing heavier and heavier.

_Jasper is helping this. She needs to think and decide what she wants to do next. She won't be able to do it if she is concerned about you._

Edward nodded. He recognized the type of deep sleep she was about to enter and hoped she would still wish to be around him when she awoke.

He stood at her bedroom door, watching her walk as if in a trance toward the bed. Without as much as a look toward him, Isabella climbed up in the bed and snuggled into the blankets.

"Rest well, ma belle Isabella," Edward murmured.

The garbled hum he received in response told him she was more asleep than awake so he quietly headed for the door.

"Edward?"

He turned to see that she was more asleep than awake though her eyes were open, watching him guilelessly.

"I'm glad you left Voltemorrah."

"I am as well," Edward replied with a genuine smile.

**~STTBW~**

**So now she knows! But what will she decide? And what about the Good Sheriff Michael Newton?**

**I apologize for not replying to every review this past week. I greatly appreciate each and every one and will try harder this week. Also, I love how some of you try to guess what is going to happen…with shocking accuracy.**

**If you didn't see it, A Different Forest published an author spot on yours truly.**

**In personal news, I'd greatly appreciate good thoughts this Tuesday—I have my first job interview in …a really long time.**

**Until the next chapter, let me know what you think!**

**Bisous!**

**DeJean**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for your patience as RL mutes the voices in my head.**

Chapter 16:

For well over an hour, Edward stood at the bedroom door, watching Isabella sleep. Her thoughts were completely blank. It was not that she was agitated and he could not hear them; it was merely that she did not dream. He envied her at that very moment. For the last century, Edward had not slept, his mind continuously active. While he watched over her, the never-ending stream of thoughts and sounds that perpetually assaulted him was for the time stilled, and he reveled in the peace and calm.

He studied her face, relaxed in her slumber, memorizing each and every detail. From the slightly parted red lips to the smattering of freckles across her nose, he wanted to remember every bit about her should she wake and decide she wanted nothing to do with him. It would devastate him, but he knew if she wished to leave, he would not stop her. He could not. He wanted her to have every little thing her heart desired and that itself confused and terrified him.

Isabella snuggled further into the soft bed. Having never experienced anything other than a flat palette on the dirt floor of her home, she took a while to settle back into a deep sleep.

Edward felt an overpowering urge to climb up into the bed next to her, to stroke her cheek, to softly kiss her awake, to feel her first gasp and then melt into his attentions as he carefully, reverently undressed her. He wanted to see if that skin felt as smooth as he imagined and if she was ticklish or preferred kisses placed on her throat or behind her ear.

Edward shook his head. He didn't _do_ gentle. He never had.

He fucked.

Fast.

Furious. 

Raw.

With torn away clothes and broken furniture and no regards to the pleasure of the other person. He smirked as he remembered a wall that had needed to be replaced after one particularly active evening.

But those experiences left him empty. Hollow. Searching for the next escapade to get rid of the crash he felt afterward.

Something niggled at his brain that while the fast, furious, and raw fucking would eventually come, he wanted slow, gentle, and reverent with his Isabella.

_His Isabella._

He scoffed at his own stray thoughts. That would never be, he was certain.

"Does she stay?" Edward murmured as he sensed Alice approach.

She shrugged in response, irritating him to no end.

"It hasn't been decided yet. You know I mainly see the possibilities. Every now and again a flash of something random in the future pops in, but mostly, I see strings of possibilities. She doesn't think she has a choice."

"But—"

Alice held up one hand to stop her brother from speaking.

"Does the phrase _then you will be mine_ mean anything to you?"

Edward had the good grace to look slightly abashed.

"Think of her world. She is a poor peasant girl—and I don't mean pitifully poor, I mean fiscally. She has more wealth than the Volturi themselves when it comes to things that matter. She lives in the middle of the woods outside a small village ruled by that idiot sheriff."

Edward growled at the mention of Michael Newton.

"Her choices usually have been whether to be hungry or hungrier, and she's had little control over that. One day, a man—"

"I'm not a man, Alice."

"Quit interrupting me," she said smacking at his chest once for each syllable. "One day, a man appears. She is fascinated by him. Not by his looks or his wealth because she cannot discern that thanks to the monks robe his oh, so wise sister placed him in, but by his talent and something she just cannot name."

"So I am a shiny new object she is fascinated by. Once she learns how I came to be here, she will want nothing to do with me."

Alice shook her head and heaved a great sigh.

"She does not know all the extenuating circumstances. The hows and the whys surrounding your actions. I'm not entirely certain that _you_ know the hows and whys of your actions. Love is a very powerful emotion. Much more powerful than anything you have ever experienced before."

_Emotions are paramount to weakness and weakness is not tolerated by those in the Guard._

"As of right now, there's an equal chance she attempts to run away from you when she discovers you killed Marcus since she doesn't know the reasoning…"

"She'll run if she knows."

"You have to give her that option, Edward."

Alice sternly looked up at him.

_She may be innocent, but she has seen lust and jealousy before._

Edward looked down at the floor. Marcus was a spiteful mountain of a man, almost rivaling Emmett in size, and he dared to go after a woman Edward had once been with almost two decades prior. Although Edward had no longer desired the woman, the fact that Marcus had flaunted their relationship pricked his pride.

_You were fortunate Aro thought your talents were more valuable than what he lost when you killed Marcus. Banishment brought you here. To her._

Edward thought back to the events that led up to his fight with Marcus. A strange sensation gripped at his chest, and he tried to figure out just what it was as one hand absent-mindedly rubbed over his heart.

_It's called guilt, brother mine._

"We don't have guilt, Alice," he blurted without thinking.

Years watching Aro, Caius, and the others had shown him time and time again that vampires were the superior beings and their will was law, no matter who was harmed along the way.

_Don't we? No regrets? Ever?_

Alice thoughts filled with images of each of the members of the Cullen family and poor choices they had made, spending an inordinately long time enumerating his own, Edward believed.

"You've had fifty years of self-indulgence, Edward," Alice said gently. "I had quite a few events to choose from."

_Emotions are paramount to weakness and weakness is not tolerated by those in the Guard._

Without warning, the motto floated through Edward's mind a second time in as many minutes, and he felt himself stiffen. He needed to get himself back under control. This fawning over a human was going to be the end of him. She was to be his, and he did not need to explain to anyone why. It was his right, after all, as the superior being.

"_Bullshit."_

Edward cocked his head in confusion at the word.

"Nineteenth, Twentieth-century version of codswallop. Has a rather nice ring to it, doesn't it? Going to be one of Emmett's favorite words in … never mind."

Edward stepped back, shocked at the language that came out of his diminutive sister. Both heard Esme sigh in frustration in the kitchen below.

"Sorry, Esme," Alice murmured before turning to face her brother. "But in truth, we are still in possession of human qualities. Some are refined, some are heightened. It's those that completely try to rid themselves of their humanity that become the beasts, not the other way around."

Edward looked back at the peacefully sleeping Isabella as he pondered what Alice had said.

"Like it or not, she's important to you. And if you give her a chance, you will find you are important to her."

~STTBW~

"Warm enough?" Emmett asked as Charles took another bite of the rich stew he clutched in his rapidly thawing hands.

Charles nodded before wiping the side of his mouth with the back of his bandaged hand.

"It's perfect."

Charles couldn't make eye contact with the man next to him. Something was not normal about him and it made him wary. The ease with which he had removed the heavy oak door from its iron hinges. That was nothing less than miraculous. Now the man stood as still as the carvings in the Catholic church across town, lifelike but unmoving.

"I'm the same thing I was when I helped tote that cart back to your home, Charlie," Emmett said with a hint of sadness.

"Thing."

"Hmm?"

"You said 'thing' not 'man.'"

"Yes."

Charles slowly nodded, contemplating all that he had witnessed. After finishing his meal and taking a long draught of the fresh water Emmett had brought him, he wrapped a wool blanket around his legs. He gazed at the other man, a million thoughts flying back and forth in his mind. He had no reason to distrust Emmett. In fact, he rather liked the young man, and his own ability to judge the character of those he met had never before failed him.

"Go ahead," Emmett said with a melancholy smile. "Say what's on your mind."

Charles shook his head, settling down his chair.

"Some things I don't need to know about. Tell me no secrets, I'll tell you no lies, and all that. I've been around William and his family too long to know there's things out there that I will never understand, but that doesn't make them any less real."

With a grunt, Charles shifted, trying to get as comfortable as the growing bruises on his legs would allow him to be.

"But I do know what you are."

"And what is that?"

Charles held out one hand.

"My friend."

Emmett smiled broadly as he shook Charles' hand.

"My friend with a strong grip," Charles muttered, flexing his fingers.

"Sorry."

Charles waved off the apology.

"You're not a wolf, are you?" He made the assumption based on the fact that all of the wolf-shifters he had met were exceptionally strong.

"No."

"Didn't think so."

Charles gazed into the small fireplace at the merrily popping and cracking fire.

"Isabella?" he finally asked.

"Safe at my brother's home."

"The castle?"

Emmett laughed and nodded.

"Chaperoned," he quickly added. "Esme, Alice, and Jasper are there."

"Esme? So she and Father Cullen?"

"My mother and father."

"Stranger and stranger," Charles muttered under his breath just as Rosalie appeared at the door. He shrank back in his seat at her appearance.

"Deputies Rupert and Hubert will not be harming anyone ever again," she announced in a voice that made Charles' blood run cold.

Still clad in the flowing, white brocade gown, her blonde hair cascading down her back, her eyes black with vengeance, Rosalie paused, looking back and forth between Charles and her husband. Slowly, her eyes faded from onyx to coal to ash to brown and then back to the warm honey they normally were. Charles watched in amazement as her entire being seemed to calm before him.

"There's my Rosalie!" Emmett said proudly, taking her in his arms and welcoming her properly.

"Don't you think we should be properly introduced," Rosalie whispered after a long enough time that Charles was beginning to wish the door was back on its hinges so he could give the couple some privacy.

Emmett grinned and nodded, taking a step back and turning toward where Charles sat.

"Charlie, this is my beautiful wife, Rosalie. Rosalie, this is Charlie. Isabella's father."

Rosalie bobbed a quick curtsey and smiled warmly, earning a broad smile in return.

"I am so pleased to meet the man that raised the woman that has broken through to our brother's heart and is bringing him back to the family."

"And I am pleased to meet the woman that Emmett has spoken so highly of," Charles said with a smile and a half-bow from his seat.

"I'm sure most of it is well embellished."

"Only the truth, Rosie, only the truth," Emmett said with a huge grin. "How did it go?"

"I'm not sure our friend here would like the details."

Charles nodded in agreement. It was not that he felt the least bit saddened by the news that the Deputies Rupert and Hubert had gone to meet their maker, but the less he knew, the better, since he was quite certain it was not a pleasant experience. Something about the way Rosalie carried herself and the wild look in her eyes when she first arrived, told him that it would be best to always remain in her good graces, or one might meet a gruesome end.

"But I will say it went entirely as planned. The sheriff's demise will take a little longer to implement, though."

"Why?" Emmett asked, pulling his wife a little closer.

"Carlisle's still arranging for the care of his children. They are innocent and need a warm, loving home."

Something in the wistfulness of Rosalie's voice touched Charles. He could immediately see that if it were possible, she would take in all three boys, but he could sense it could not be.

"And Isabella?"

"Is safe and sound," Rosalie assured.

"And causing all sorts of consternation for our brother," Emmett said with a broad grin.

Charles nodded for he knew his daughter well and had faith she could handle anything or anyone that was brought before her.

**~~STTBW~~**

**Great big, huge hugs and warm chocolate chip cookies go to Midnight Cougar who rec'd this story on Teh Lemonade Stand. Thank you!**

**And thank you to all you fabulous readers that recommend 'Beast' or any of my other stories. I may not get to reply to every review (oh, how I wish I had the time), but I greatly appreciate each and every one.**

**My job interview went smashingly, and I hope to hear soon one way or another.**

**Next chapter, Isabella awakes! (Or, at least that's the plan…I can't begrudge her a long nap in Edward's bed, can you?)**

**Please let me know what you thought! Reviews are my drug of choice (that and chocolate…)**

**DeJean**


	17. Chapter 17

**Greetings dear readers! I still only own the storyline…and two old friends that are going to make a brief appearance in this chapter.**

"Company's coming," Alice said suddenly, tilting her head toward the bedroom window.

Edward looked up and studied her thoughts, trying to discern who had captured his sister's attention. All he saw was a couple, fully entranced with each other as they ran through the woods to the north of the house at a rate that was not human. The man was clad in a single layer of plain clothes, functional, but not fashionable, while the woman seemed to wear several layers of clashing colors as if she preferred wearing, rather than toting, her luggage.

"Friendly or not?"

"Friendly." Alice paused as her vision grew clearer and clearer. "Odd, but friendly."

"Odd?"

"You'll see." She motioned toward the window indicating the two should investigate their surroundings.

Alice pulled back the heavy drapes and they gazed down at the clearing in the woods that surrounded the 'castle.'

"Please!" a woman's voice begged sweetly.

"Darling, do you not think the people that live here might prefer rain to snow?" a deep voice responded. "They do seem to be rather used to it and all."

Slowly, a couple appeared at the far edge of the forest.

"Who would ever prefer this rainy muck to a lovely, white, fresh snow? My boots are getting soaked through with this constant mist. I don't know if I could get frostbite, but I would much rather not risk it. Snow would at least be prettier. Please? Please? Please?"

The woman's voice got higher and faster as she pleaded with the man.

"The mutts over that range are going to be howling and whining after that display."

"There weren't any mutts…just…oh! The wolf-shifters. Mutts! I get it!"

The woman giggled and playfully slapped the man's arm. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her close and nuzzled her cheek, causing her to giggle even louder before a soft, satisfy sigh escaped her lips as he lightly nipped at her throat followed by a squeal of delight as fat, fluffy snowflakes gently floated around them.

"Oh, my darling man, you spoil me!"

She suddenly stopped her celebrating as he whispered something in her ear.

Edward watched the woman stiffen and before she could stop herself, she spun in her husband's arms looked up at the window where the two of them stood watching. He noticed her blue-green eyes narrow ever so slightly as she gazed back and forth between him and Alice.

"So much for peace and solitude during your banishment," Alice said teasingly before leaving the room. "This is becoming a veritable Grand Central Station."

"A what?"

Edward followed his sister down the hall to the stairs and then to the front door.

The mystery woman was now tucked behind the man who looked ready to protect her at all costs. Her heart was beating rapidly while his was as still as Edward's or Alice's.

"Hello, friends! Quite a distance from the Virginia colony, aren't you?" Alice chirped grinning as if she were welcoming family she had not seen in years.

"You know them? You just said you'd never seen-"

The woman threw her hands on her hips and stared accusingly at the man who shook his head fiercely in denial.

"Oh, we've never met," Alice assured. "Not officially or on his part that is."

"My sister's talent is getting her and your friend in trouble," Edward interrupted, moving to stand between them.

"My husband does that well enough on his own," the strange woman said without thinking.

The indulgent smile the man gave her told Edward that he was used to her speaking her mind without the use of a filter, but the adoration is his thoughts was clear.

"Now, Darling, I don't think these two wish to get into our personal lives," drawled the man, gently taking his wife's arm and pulling her back alongside him.

"Hmmm—" She pulled her woolen coat tighter around herself and adjusted her hood, her eyes flitting back and forth from Edward to Alice to the house and then back.

"What I mean is that Alice can see things in the future," Edward continued.

"And I've never met a hybrid before," Alice chirped, a Cheshire grin illuminating her face.

"A what?" the woman asked, looking at her husband to see if he knew the word.

He merely shrugged in response.

"Your mother was human, your father vampire," Edward replied, filling in the answers their thoughts held.

"Much nicer sound than 'bastard,' I suppose," the woman sniffed.

Her mind flitted through a miasma of torturous events in her life, never spending more than a few seconds on each, until she remembered when she met the man beside her. Those thoughts were rich in detail and brought an almost physical warmth with them. He had promised to love, protect, and cherish her as if she were the most precious thing in the world and had proved it over and over.

"How?" Edward asked, shaking his head.

"How?" the man replied back in confusion.

Edward unconsciously stepped toward the woman, staring her in the eyes as if gazing into them deeper and harder would make her thoughts clearer to him. A low, threatening growl brought his attention to the others.

"Sir, I ask you to step back."

The woman was now behind her husband, a touch of fear in her thoughts. She did not wish to have a fight between her love and this stranger, but she knew he would protect her to the death.

"Edward," Alice said softly, taking her brother's arm. "They don't know you have read her thoughts."

She turned toward the couple and gave them a bright smile.

"While we three don't mind the cold, I'm sure one of our new friends would like to have a sit by the fire and thaw out. You can ask your question there."

The couple appeared to have a silent discussion for a few seconds before agreeing and followed Alice and Edward into the house. The woman carefully stripped off a few outer layers of clothes and laid them over a drying rack that appeared next to the fireplace, revealing a short but curvy figure, light brown curly hair, and fair skin that seemed to glow from within.

"So ask your question, Edward," Alice prompted as their guests took seats across from them.

Edward struggled with the right words before finally settling on what he should say.

"How did you know he was the right choice after all you faced before him? I mean, I saw that woman and what she did to you. And those times where… and I just cannot imagine …"

The woman stared blankly at Edward as if he were speaking a language she could not understand. Then her face slowly softened with understanding.

"So does this have anything to do with the human upstairs?"

"How?" Edward's eyes flitted toward the ceiling where Isabella slept just above before looking back at the woman that was waiting patiently to continue.

"I'm the only one in this room with a heartbeat and what I hear isn't mine."

She shook her head with a secret smile.

"You aren't keeping her here against her will are you?"

"No?"

"Was that a question?"

"Originally, yes; now, no," Alice offered.

The woman nodded, realizing there was a story there and it was not something she wished to pry into right this moment.

"It took some convincing on his part, but he was patient and kind." She looked over at her husband with a smile, taking his hand in hers. "And he knew of the horrible, horrible things that had happened to me. And that my reactions were not always well thought through. I tended to react rather than think things through, you know. Still working on that one."

The image of a woman with sharp features and cruel eyes filled her mind. The picture changed to a bear den in late winter before it was quickly shaken away. Edward saw a graveyard with a simple plot and the woman before him spitting on the freshly laid dirt.

"But he was stubborn … and kind ... and patient. Oh, so very patient. And I wanted to be what he needed me to be because he's my everything. It's not something I can explain. He's just _mine_."

Edward nodded without realizing it as the woman's words made perfect sense to him. This was exactly how he felt about Isabella.

"He wasn't always a saint, mind you," she continued. "There was that particularly strong singer that called to you over in Belfast, remember Darling?"

The man nodded, looking slightly abashed and ashamed, but his memories told Edward that the stranger had not given into the call of his singer's blood.

But just barely.

"But I forgave him just as he forgave me. And not knowing your story, but since you asked, I think if she's the one for you, she will forgive whatever you've done as well."

The woman paused in thought.

"That is, if you can forgive yourself for what you've done."

~STTBW~

Isabella slowly awoke, stretching and yawning as she became more and more aware of her surroundings. She realized she was alone, unlike the first time she opened her eyes in this room. Then she had found herself under the watchful gaze of an angel.

No.

A demon.

He had called himself a demon.

There had been so much pain in his eyes as he called himself that, she remembered with more than a touch of sadness.

Then he had shown her the portrait of himself and his parents. And Voltemorrah.

Volterra, she quickly corrected herself, propping herself up on a fat pillow and pulling a quilt around herself.

And he revealed he had killed someone.

He truly believed himself without redemption, Isabella realized. However, she knew that no matter what a person did, forgiveness could be achieved.

_Go forth and sin no more._

That was what she had been told in Father Carlisle's church. But she had believed that long before hearing the sermon, thanks to Charles' teachings.

She had never known her mother, or at least, had no memory of her, so all the attributes that could be classified as maternal had never been in her life. It had been her and her father eeking out a life together, happy and content.

Charles had taught her that kindness was never wasted and that if you made a mistake, learn from it and move on. He had been there for her time and time again, answering any question she had. So much so that Isabella had never once missed having a mother.

Correction.

There had been one time.

Isabella shuddered as she remembered Sue's attempts at educating her in the relations between a man and a woman.

_Pain and blood._

_Blood and pain._

She had been happy to put aside any notion of coupling after that talk.

Chewing lightly on her lower lip, Isabella wondered what it would be like with someone like Edward. Would he be the brute that Sue had accused all males of being? He was so much taller than her, and, as a vampire, she knew he had to be so much stronger, too.

Nevertheless, not once during their time together had he tried to force her. He had been so very gentle, escorting her down the hall and through the house. Even when he was on the verge of taking her innocence when she first woke up and claimed that she was his, he had not forced himself upon her when she had said no. Rather, Edward had stepped back as if he were pulled by some unseen force through the power of her words.

Make no mistake; Isabella did not think for a moment that Edward was a housecat. No, his entire being was one of power and control. He was used to getting what he wanted, no matter what the consequences.

No wonder he considered himself a demon. A beast.

But there was something under that, something indescribable and undeniable that pulled Isabella toward him.

Her instincts had never steered her wrong, and she was not about to question the path her heart was telling her to go.

Not this time.

Not with this much at stake.

**~STTBW~**

**So…did you recognize the couple? No worries if you didn't…they are from another story, and I just needed to borrow Will the vampire's talents…weather manipulation…for this chapter. And I decided Liriope the hybrid's story might help Edward get his head out of his rump.**

**But no worries about them taking over this tale. They've already left the Cullen's and are off causing mayhem together.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! As a friendly reminder, please log in if you're going to leave me a review (especially if it has a question you'd like me to address-I can't do it if you don't sign in and that sends my Type-A librarian heart into palpitations!)  
**

**DeJean**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks to Fran for wielding a sparkly red pen over this, but in the end, any mistakes are mine.**

**~~STTBW~~**

Edward and Alice stood at the front door, watching as their temporary guests headed across the front yard toward the tree line. They had been an interesting and enlightening couple, giving Edward many things to ponder. Would he find himself able of redemption and thereby worthy of Isabella? He did not know if that was possible. At the very last moment, the woman spun around, waved wildly at them. A huge smile lit up her face, and she blew a kiss before vanishing into the darker part of the woods.

He remembered her words and felt a glimmer of hope.

Edward suddenly realized his sister was standing beside him, her thoughts bouncing from one thing to another—a tactic she often used when she didn't want him reading her mind. At least it was better than when she cataloged her shoe collection, first alphabetically by color and then heel height.

"What is it, Alice?"

"Nothing," she replied in a sing-song voice. The grin on her face could have eclipsed the sun with its brightness.

"Alice," he growled.

With a wicked giggle and a wink, she dashed out the door, slamming it behind her and leaving Edward standing in the foyer alone and confused.

"Now, what the Hell was that all about," he muttered, shaking his head.

His sister's ability to see the future had frustrated him for years, especially when she decided to play goddess and not tell him what she saw. With his ever-increasing desire to know whether Isabella would stay or wish to be returned to her father, the obstruction she intentionally created was agonizing.

_You'll find out soon enough!_

Edward growled again as he heard Alice giggle before she disappeared from his sight.

The tell-tale thump of feet on the floor above alerted him that Isabella was awake. With a deep sigh, he decided it would be best to see her now and learn if she had made any decisions regarding their relationship. And he certainly was not going to get any assistance from his family.

Sure enough, he found her staring out the window as huge, fluffy snowflakes continued to fall, blanketing the gray landscape in pure white. Through her thoughts, Edward saw a rapturous mixture of amazement and joy. She was so enthralled; she did not hear him approach.

_So beautiful. I could stand here forever and watch this._

He could tell she was pleased even without reading her mind, but he found hope in her thoughts.

Without warning, the mantra arose in his mind once again, and he felt his entire body tense.

_Emotions are paramount to weakness and weakness is not tolerated by those in the Guard._

Edward could almost see Aro sneering at him as he pointed at Isabella and her seemingly silly emotional response to a few flakes of frozen water. Who cared about such things when there was adulation to be received and people to conquer and oppress all for the sake of feeding one's own ego.

There was a time when Edward would have agreed wholeheartedly. How someone could achieve such joy over something so trivial had been beyond his own understanding. After all, he had been lured away from a simple life with Carlisle and Esme to one where wealth and status were fervently pursued in Voltemorrah, oh, so easily.

Edward inwardly laughed as he remembered the name Isabella had given Volterra. It was such a fitting misnomer.

_Isabella_, he sighed silently as she wiped her sleeve across the window to clear away at the fog that was hindering her watching the falling snow.

She was everything he had sought to escape during his time with the Guard. By being surrounded by wealth, fine things, and indulgences of the flesh, Edward valiantly attempted to blot out the world around and focus purely on himself. And now, here he was, half a century later, completely enthralled with Isabella, who was content with her station in life and her meagre possessions.

By all rights, they never should have met. Even if by some chance she had appeared in Volterra, he would have paid her no mind. She was at the bottom of the social scale-female, poor, with no formal education and more than likely, without a dowry that would raise her beyond her current place.

And human.

He could not forget her humanity. Another strike against her if one was to believe the Volturi way of thinking.

He was disgusted at his own past behavior. Why had Carlisle and Esme and the others not…

Edward thought back to when he left the Cullens. They had tried to change his mind, each in their own way. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and even Rose had made their own attempts to sway his decision. He had just been too blind to realize the mistake he was making at the time, throwing off their words without a second thought.

This young woman was changing him in ways he had never imagined possible. All thanks to her, the notion of contentment and joy over something so simple was now comprehendible. And perhaps, just perhaps, he was worthy of being happy.

She had become everything to him—his morning star, his sun, and his moon. He would sacrifice all that he was and all that he had in order to make her smile.

Could he truly have been that wrong about what was important?

Here stood a woman gratified by nothing more than watching frozen water plummet to the ground. The sudden realization struck him that perhaps the _lack_ of emotions was a weakness. She was stronger and wealthier than he could ever have imagined in Volterra.

"Do you wish to go outside and see the snow closer?"

Isabella jumped, her hand flying to her heart as she spun around.

"You startled me!" she gasped, slowly regaining control of her breathing.

_How long has he been there? Has he been listening to my thoughts? Does he know…_

"I do apologize," Edward said softly with a genteel bow, saddened that he interrupted her thoughts. He would have liked to hear the rest of the sentence. "I merely thought you might enjoy going outside."

He was rewarded with a bright smile that seemed to make the tightness in his chest relax.

Isabella's thoughts revealed how handsome she thought he looked with a smile on his face but with a touch of sadness over how Edward felt about himself. The word _demon_ floated through her mind only to be replaced by _angel_.

"Come," he said gently, holding out one hand. "I'm sure Esme or Alice has found you something appropriate to wear that will keep you warm."

Sure enough, next to the door, a pair of boots and a heavy coat awaited her. After Edward assisted her in donning the clothes, his fingertips barely grazed the nape of Isabella's neck as he straightened the collar. The touch ignited a spark that both felt and made Isabella jump. She giggled nervously at the sensation while he marveled at what had happened.

"Curious," Edward murmured, handing her a fine pair of fur-lined gloves and a scarf.

"Very," she agreed, pulling on the accessories. Her mind instantly filled with praise for the fit and softness of her new clothes, pleasing Edward immensely.

He offered his arm which she hesitantly accepted. Her thoughts revealed it was confusion over _why_ he held out one arm and what she should do rather than hesitation at the notion of touching him. Edward promised himself that he would strive to ensure she knew the way a lady should be treated no matter what choice she made regarding himself.

The two walked through the woods in silence, Isabella reveling in the beauty of freshly fallen snow; Edward satisfied in the pure and simple joy she took in her surroundings.

Isabella realized they were walking toward her home and thought how lovely it must look now under a few inches of white.

"There is something I need to tell you," Edward said, his soft voice sounding as loud as cannon fire in their sylvan surroundings.

"Hmm? What is that?"

Her serene smile made him feel all the more guilty for what he needed to say. The desire to protect her, to shelter her from life's reality welled up inside him.

"The two deputies are dead. And the sheriff will be soon."

Isabella halted and looked up at him, confusion marring her face and filling her thoughts.

"One came to burn your home down and force you to town to marry the sheriff, but not before he…"

Edward found he could not tell her the vile thoughts and plans Deputy Rupert had in store for her.

"He?" She looked up at him expectantly.

"Maggie," he whispered.

Watching her serene face crumple with pain was almost more than he could bear, and he hesitated for just an instant before pulling her into his arms. Any uncertainty he felt as to how she would react quickly melted as she settled against him. Isabella fit so perfectly against him, he thought as her mind calmed, and she snuggled closer. He suddenly comprehended just how much this friend had meant to a lonely girl growing up without a mother. Edward also realized that emotions were _not_ a sign of weakness. If anything, he now understood that the ability to feel took more strength than he had ever thought possible. Edward would do anything to smooth away the sadness and agony marring Isabella's visage.

"On his own?"

Edward shook his head. Rupert had been given orders by the sheriff and was following them explicitly. Her virginity was to be his payment for a job well done. Edward was thankful Alice had hidden that bit of information from him when he had agreed to stand back while Rosalie wreaked vengeance. Unfortunately, Rose's mind had wandered when she returned after the fire, and he had caught a glimpse of the plan.

The sheriff would not be so fortunate.

Isabella's thoughts turned to anger before being silenced.

"Then I hope he suffered," she hissed.

"Rosalie made certain of it."

She seemed to approve, curling further into his embrace.

"Everything was removed before it burned down, and Jasper and Emmett have found a new clearing to rebuild your home."

Isabella nodded but remained silent, mulling over the information he had provided. The house was nothing more than that—four walls that had sheltered her and her father from the elements. It could be replaced or she could find accommodations elsewhere.

_Mine._

The beast within still insisted Isabella was his, but this time the tone was gentler, more protective. Edward realized he wanted more than just her body, although that desire was still present, and as she held onto him, the yearning was growing.

Edward fought back the urge to force her to stay with him. It was her choice. One he hoped she would make in his favor, but he now realized it was completely her decision.

"You are welcome to stay with me for as long as you desire."

She paused and looked up at him as if trying to read his intentions.

"As yours?"

He instantly saw the memory of when she first awoke in his bedchamber.

"As whatever you wish, Isabella. I am not going to force you to stay, nor am I going to force you to go."

"Why the change?"

The two walked a little further in silence as Edward pondered the best way to respond.

"Because emotions are paramount to weakness and weakness is not tolerated by those in the Guard."

She gazed up at him silently, studying his face as if to read his thoughts.

"That is a very sad way of looking at life."

"It is. You have taught me that. And that is why I will no longer be in the Guard. No matter what you choose in regards to me."

"The Guard?"

Edward felt as though he should release her, to push her away from the ugliness that his last fifty years had held, but she seemed to sense that desire and settled just a little closer to him.

"You know what I am."

"Vampire," she murmured in a voice just barely above a whisper, staring at the delicately engraved silver buttons on his overcoat.

"Yes. And we have a ruling class. One that keeps order and maintains the secrecy of our existence. I am … I _was_ part of that class. It was my pleasure to bring others into line if they strayed from the laws Aro and the others wrote. By any means necessary."

"That doesn't sound very pleasant."

"It depends on which side of the law you were."

"Were the laws fair?"

Edward thought for a moment before shaking his head. No, they were not fair. They were heavily weighted to keep their existence a secret and to keep the Volturi in power.

"Then I am glad you were banished, even if you did something rather stupid. It got you far, far away from those… people."

"You forget that I was a willing participant."

"We all do stupid things, Mr. Cullen Sir."

"Edward."

She smiled at him as if he had given her a great gift.

"Edward."

"What surprises me most is that you have no issue with what I am."

Isabella laughed, burying her face in his chest as she shook her head.

"My best friend is a wolf shifter. Half of his family is. It would be rather hypocritical of me to find fault with you not being like everyone else."

She took his hand and together they walked further into the woods.

"Especially since you mean me no harm."

Edward stopped, not releasing her from his hold.

"That is not entirely true."

"It's not?"

"Oh, no, my dear Isabella."

She shivered but not from the cold as his voice grew lower and softer. He pulled her gently toward him, laying one hand against her cheek.

Isabella looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. Her thoughts told him she had no idea what sensations and desires were going through her at that moment but that she liked the feeling very, very much.

Edward tilted her face towards his own and whispered, just before his lips touched hers:

"I still intend to make you entirely mine."

**~~STTBW~~**

**So glad you enjoyed Will and Liriope's cameo in the last chapter (even though it was an entirely different story and does not work at all with the timeline for Evermore Experience). For those who didn't recognize them, they were two OCs I created, and I love them dearly.**

**I apologize for the delay in posting and the complete lack of review replies…I have been volunteering more at the school library (and loving it) and by the time I got this chapter finished, Fran was off hob knobbing in Forks and rubbing elbows with Ms. Meyer. **

**By the time you read this, I'll be enjoying my Fall Break vacation to Florida. The benefit of starting school so early, we get a week off in the middle of September. The next chapter is outlined, and I've started writing it, but it may be 2 weeks or so before it's ready to go.**

**I always love knowing what you think so please let me know!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Fran's on vacation again (someday our schedules will mesh, promise), so I dragged my dear friend &amp; former beta, Javamomma0921, out of retirement and begged her to work her magic on this chapter. She did (tho' I futzed, because I can't help myself), and I'm truly grateful.**

Chapter 19:

After a mere brush of his lips against hers, Edward tried to pull back. He was terrified to press his luck by forcing his attentions on Isabella for too long. The niggling thought passed through his mind of how different this attitude was from before passed through his mind. He realized that she held all the power in their relationship. Her rejection would break him, and he would do everything he could to prevent that from happening. Yet when he tried to step back, Edward found her clutching to his overcoat, holding him tightly in place, eyes closed and a blissful smile gracing her lips. The sense of joy he felt overwhelmed him and his arms snaked around her waist in response.

_Then you will be mine_.

Edward winced as he remembered the words he had used when she awoke in his bedchamber. He had been a proud, selfish beast, wishing to possess Isabella in every way possible.

_Mine._

The beast within continued to speak to him. His core attitude had not changed. He wanted her in every way possible. The beast still demanded to possess Isabella, to consume her, but now he equally desired to be possessed and consumed.

By her.

He had completely changed his way of thinking, being, and his entire philosophy of existence in the blink of an eye—at least to a vampire. All because of a wisp of a human named Isabella. All for this fragile, breakable, fascinating woman he held in his arms.

A thousand forevers would never be enough time with her.

Oh, what Aro and the others would say about this development. For once, the mantra that had been the bane of his thoughts did not float through his mind. Edward found not a hint of remorse in his decision. If he could only discover how Isabella felt and what her desires were, then he would be whole.

Isabella shivered, immediately regaining his full attention.

With a smile, he realized Isabella was standing before him, her eyes still closed. The light flush across her cheeks and nose could be attributed to the cold, or it could be a tinge of embarrassment, or dare he hope, desire.

"We can go back inside if you are cold," Edward said softly, fearing his voice would break the enchantment of their surroundings.

She shook her head.

"Wow," Isabella whispered, brushing an errant curl out of her face.

Her thoughts mirrored her amazement and her pleasure.

_Two down. One to go._

_There he is. On your flank._

_There's another. Where did that one come from?_

_Stay on target._

_We are only after red eyes. His are…_

_Focus, Seth. That's not our quarry._

_Toward Charles' home._

_Is Isabella there?_

_No, she's with…Look out!_

Edward stiffened as he heard five voices simultaneously. Isabella felt him tense and immediately worried that he regretted kissing her.

"Oh, no, sweet girl," he murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I hear something."

The sudden flash of dark brown fur against the white-covered landscape caught her attention.

"Jacob?" Isabella asked, freeing herself from Edward's hold and taking a step toward the activity.

Edward lightly touched her elbow to hold her in place as other wolves flickered in and out of sight.

"Something is not right." He listened to the pack as they chased someone.

A vampire.

Red eyes flashed over to where Edward and Isabella stood. The newcomer's thoughts quickly shifted from escape to curiosity.

Edward did not recognize the man, but his thoughts were loud. Before being discovered by the wolves that now chased him, the vampire regretted returning to this part of the world. He and two others had hunted there less than two decades before. He did not like harvesting prey from an area within the same generation.

Yet, someone named James had insisted on returning to where he had found his singer years ago. James vowed that the woman had a child and had intended on hunting the offspring to see if its blood would taste as sweet as she had. The fleeing vampire blamed his now-dead compatriot for his current predicament and was almost joyful that James and his mate were now ashes.

"You!"

Edward growled as he saw the memory of a young woman running through the woods only to be stopped by the vampire now being chased and two others. Although she was clad in a gown finer than the one Isabella had worn when they first met, there was no mistaking this woman as her mother. Only the eye color was different, but the fine bone structure, the face, the build—all the same.

Thoughts of hate and revenge now filled the vampire's mind as he, too, recognized Isabella and now focused his attention on her.

_He's turning._

_Seth, watch Isabella._

_Nice attack, Leah._

_Thanks, Jacob._

_Get…_

_Got…_

_He's getting too close to…_

Isabella watched as the pack surrounded her, becoming a barrier between her and their quarry. Suddenly, the wolves attacked the vampire. For a moment, it appeared they had him cornered, but at the last second, he leaped out of their reach and scrambled up a tall cedar. She felt the wolves gather around her, each facing a different direction but all looking upward to where the vampire had disappeared within the treetops.

"Help me, brother!" the vampire pleaded as he jumped from branch to branch. "Leave your _petit déjeuner_ and help me escape! Together we can defeat them!"

Isabella spun around, mouth agape as she studied Edward's reaction to the request. This man was his brother?

"He is no brother of mine," Edward hissed.

Edward listened, his body turning as he followed the fleeing man bound higher and higher into the trees. Had Isabella been more attuned, she would have realized his entire being was shaking with rage.

Once he found what he thought to be a safe spot, the vampire's thoughts turned toward her. Edward heard the vampire settle into a vee in the branches to wait for the wolves to leave.

"'Twould appear you have made friends with the beasts," the vampire murmured in a voice too low for Isabella to hear.

The wolves circled around Isabella, their agitation growing and causing her to draw closer to Edward, seeking the security his presence offered.

"I will protect you," Edward assured her, earning a dark laugh from the vampire in the trees.

"Is that tasty morsel one of them? Ah, no. But they protect her. I can see why. Such beauty. Does she service them all?"

Images of Isabella in different sexual positions with members of the wolf pack, both in their human and animal form flooded Edward's mind, creating a fury within him that he had never before experienced. She was his, and only his, and no other creature, vampire, wolf, or otherwise was going to have her.

_Let me shift. I'll climb up there and…_

_No, Leah._

_But he…_

_Leah!_

_You cannot…_

_Leah! As Alpha, I command…_

Isabella had no idea about what the wolves were debating but when Leah snapped at Jacob and Sam, she jumped back in fear with a shriek.

"Ah, the sounds of terror," the vampire sighed blissfully. "Almost as pleasing to the ear as those made during a good fucking."

Edward growled as he read the vampire's thoughts and saw the fantasy he conjured of where and what he would do should Edward agree to giving him a turn between Isabella's legs once the danger had passed.

He quickly raised one finger to his lips to signal for Isabella to remain silent.

"Stay here," he whispered, turning away before she saw his now-coal black eyes. "The pack will keep you safe while I do this."

Edward disappeared, leaving Isabella befuddled by his actions. The only indication as to his location was the snow that fell from branches high above.

Isabella watched futilely as pine needles, pinecones, and other tree debris tumbled around. Eerie noises filled the still air, causing her heart to beat loud in her chest. Becoming aware of the wolves surrounding her, she searched out Jacob.

"Can you see them?"

She was answered with a low whine and a quick shake of his head as the pack in unison shifted their attention from one location to another.

"She must be truly superb," the red-eyed vampire's voice floated through the air, chilling Isabella to the bone. "To obtain your undivided attention. To be willing to fight for her. Perhaps you will share?"

Isabella clutched at her coat, drawing it tight around her, and cowered at the string of profanity that answered the vampire's query. A new flurry of branches and snow showered down upon her and the wolves, sending her scurrying for cover.

"Now, brother, we could…"

"Silence! I am not your brother. I am nothing like you!"

Edward's shouts echoed through the woods, sending a few nesting squirrels scurrying from their home, their chatter sounding harsh in the still air.

"_No one_ will touch her without her say," he raged.

"No one?" A low laugh rumbled forth.

"No. One."

"You haven't? Ahhh. No, you haven't. Most interesting."

The wolves, one by one, turned to look at her, each trying to do so surreptitiously. She felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks. Isabella had done nothing to be ashamed of, but she knew their unspoken question: Why would a vampire protect a human if he had received nothing in return? The only answer she could think of went against everything she had been told about the _cold ones_ by the wolves and their families, but one she was beginning to understand.

He truly cared for her. Not as a possession, not as a prize, but as someone to be valued and treasured. Isabella's heart beat just a little faster as she realized what this new information meant. Her attention was recaptured by the cruel words she heard from above.

"Then I shall make sure she is well taken care of after your death."

"No!" she whispered, shaking her head back and forth furiously. Edward had to win; he had to defeat the red-eyed vampire.

Another roar of rage rang through the still air. The wolves all drew closer to Isabella, each at full attention should Edward lose and the other vampire escape and attack her.

Leah yelped and jumped back just in time to escape a large, heavy section of an old oak tree that shook the ground as it hit a few paces away, shattering into splinters.

Isabella tried to follow where and what was happening but quickly realized she could not.

A loud crack as though a marble tablet had broken echoed through the forest, and Isabella saw something fall from the trees. It landed in a snowbank a few paces away with a dull thud, and she ran toward it before anyone could stop her. She was just about to cautiously nudge at the cloth-covered lump with her toe when a loud voice stopped her.

"Isabella!"

She spun around at the sound of her name to see Father Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Alice standing in a half-circle behind her.

"You don't want to touch that," Alice said gently, holding one hand out.

Isabella looked at the group and then back at the cloth and then back at Alice.

"Believe me."

"What…" Isabella said softly before seeing Edward standing a distance away, his back toward her. Her first instinct was to bolt toward him.

"Edward needs a moment," Alice said, taking a step toward Isabella and linking their arms together, firmly holding her in place.

"Is he…"

"He will be fine. He requires a bit of time to calm himself."

Isabella watched as Emmett appeared next to Edward and Jasper joined them. The two men looked as if they were talking to Edward who refused to answer. She now could tell his clothes were torn to shreds and he was missing a shoe. She had never seen him look as appealing as he did that very moment and had she not been held in place, Isabella might have run toward him.

"Let us return to the house and give Edward a little time alone."

Alice urged Isabella in the direction of Edward's home and smiled reassuringly at her friend.

"We are a possessive breed, Isabella," she continued in explanation when Isabella refused to move. "And I believe Laurent tried to claim something that was not his." Alice looked over at the lump Isabella had tried to inspect.

A cold sense of dread filled Isabella as she realized what might be under that cloth. Numbly, she began to walk at a slightly faster pace toward Edward's home.

"And if we do not return you to a safe place and allow Edward some time to regain control, he might claim you as his before God and all of us."

Isabella stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Alice, trying to determine if she was teasing or not, and at the same time, she tried to decide if that would be a bad thing after all.

**~STTBW~**

**Oh, Isabella…you have a lot to learn.**

**So what do you think Edward's reaction is going to be? I'd love to hear your opinion!**

**Thank you so much for your reviews! They made the wait in lines at Disney so much shorter. =)**

**Hope to see you next week.**

**DeJean**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks again to Fran for looking over. I don't always follow her suggestions, though, so mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 20:

_Isabella stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Alice, trying to determine if she was teasing or not, and at the same time, she tried to decide if that would be a bad thing after all._

"Oh, Isabella," Alice murmured with a sigh, her eyes beginning to glaze over as she saw the consequences of her young friend's thoughts.

Jasper stiffened as he felt the change in the emotions in his brother and lunged at him. It was a futile effort to capture Edward in his arms before he did something rash, and he failed.

But it was too late.

Edward spun around, his eyes black as the darkest night and focused solely on Isabella. Her eyes widened as she saw him pause for a moment as if fighting the beast within him before he lost the battle and bolted towards her, throwing Isabella over his shoulder, and disappearing into the woods.

The wolves snuffled and whined, pacing back and forth, trying to determine what the best course of action was, growing louder and louder as their agitation grew. The Cullen family looked at each other in bemusement, unsure of whether to try to calm the wolf pack or chase after their kin and rescue Isabella.

"He's not going to hurt her," Alice said in a soft voice, causing all to stop dead in their tracks.

Sam snorted in disagreement.

Alice shook her head.

"Isabella is his world. He would no sooner harm her than Jacob would Leah."

Jacob, still in his wolf form, chuffed before trotting over to his wife and nuzzling her.

"How do you know?" Carlisle asked, still staring in the direction Edward had run.

"Jasper, what emotions were you feeling?"

He thought silently for a moment before responding, "Possessive."

The wolves grumbled before Jasper continued.

"And protective … Mostly he felt protective. Edward wants to be sure she was unharmed so he had to take her away to assure himself of that. She's his to protect. He doesn't trust any of us to do that job for him."

Alice grinned and nodded.

"Edward is taking her someplace he finds safe to make certain she is unharmed."

"Where? And for how long?" Esme asked worrying her son would be leaving the family again.

"He doesn't want me to know. He's changing his mind over and over again, trying to block me."

"But she is safe?"

Alice paused and let the visions roll through her mind, a soft smile broadening as she nodded, a collective sigh of relief echoing through those assembled.

Carlisle turned toward Sam and placed his hand over his heart.

"Thank you, Sam, for honoring our agreement."

Sam bobbed his head before trotting off behind a clump of trees where he phased back into human form, quickly pulling on a pair of britches before reappearing.

"As long as your family remains golden eyed, we will allow you to live among us. The moment that changes, though…"

"Understood. Your father's father knew of us and was wise enough to share that information through the generations."

"There are dangers all around us, Father Carlisle. We cannot remove all of them on the fear that one might eventually cause a problem. We can only identify them and be aware."

"I completely agree." Carlisle motioned toward the remains of Laurent that Jasper and Emmett were gathering before preparing a pyre. "And we will help in any way we can."

"Just keep Isabella safe from harm. I do not entirely trust that one son of yours. Any harm that comes to her will face the wrath of the entire pack."

Carlisle again nodded.

"He is trying the best he can. Sometimes the past can be a little overwhelming, and you fear you cannot overcome it."

Sam agreed before inquiring as to Charles' welfare.

"Rosalie, Emmett's wife, is watching over him while he sits in Sheriff Newton's jail."

The wolves grumbled at this information, not because of who was guarding Charles, but his location and their general attitude toward the sheriff.

"Rest assured," Carlisle continued, his voice growing softer and more serious. "The sheriff is soon to meet his final judgment."

**~STTBW~**

The snow-covered woods zipped by at a speed faster than Isabella could imagine. Her mind could scarcely process what had happened. One moment, she was standing next to Alice, gazing at Edward, his clothes tattered and torn, his face covered in scrapes and gashes. She could only imagine what injuries he might have that remained hidden. The next instant, she was thrown over his shoulder and being carried at a speed faster than she could ever have dreamed of through the woods to some unknown destination. Yet the ride was gentle, as if he chose the most level paths and cushioned the jumps and leaps. She was not jolted or jarred in any way.

"Edward?" Isabella inquired, gently poking through a tear in his overcoat.

She received no response, so she repeated herself, a little louder and a little more forcefully.

Again, Edward seemed to ignore her questions, so she asked again, even louder, her fists pounding on his back, demanding an answer.

In a whirl, Isabella found herself on her feet before him. The world spun for a moment as she tried to regain her balance at the sudden stop.

"I need to have you somewhere safe," Edward said in a low voice, keeping his face tilted toward the ground. "Only a short time more."

Without allowing her time to respond, Isabella found herself back over his shoulder and staring at the torn back of his coat. Something about his entire being, the way he stood, the way he spoke, told her he was trying to keep himself in check.

On a base level, she could understand what he was feeling. She had seen Jacob with Leah in town during one of the few festivals Sheriff Newton had allowed. A stranger had enjoyed one of the meeting houses' brews a little too much and made advances toward Leah. Isabella remembered unwanted words and touches her friend had received. In the end, Leah had effectively neutered the man, but not before Jacob had laid a few blows of his own. After it all, the two had disappeared for a few days. Charles had told her that the couple needed some time alone, to work through the stress of what had happened.

Isabella had not questioned what the couple had done to resolve the stress, but now she wondered, and if it would help Edward regain control of himself.

Suddenly Edward stopped, and Isabella found herself once again on her feet. The dizziness she experienced when he first put her down was not as intense, but Isabella still found herself wanting to reach out and grab something to steady herself. A nearby table gave her the support she desired until she could regain her balance.

Once steady, Isabella looked around at her surroundings. She was in a small, dark room that had a slightly musty smell, as if it had been locked shut for a time and was now opened back up. The furnishings were far better than anything she had ever had growing up but far below those found in Edward's mansion.

Edward.

She realized she did not know where he was and frantically looked for him.

"I'm here," came a strangled whisper from a far corner.

Without thinking, Isabella took a step toward the sound.

"Don't."

She stopped abruptly at the order. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, her heart clenched at the sight before her. Edward was curled up on himself, barely moving, as far away from her as possible. His eyes were clenched tight and his entire being was tense. Isabella felt as if one wrong move on her part and he would shatter into a million pieces.

"Edward," she whispered.

He vehemently shook his head.

"Do not come closer," Edward ordered. "I…I am not entirely in control right now."

"You kept me safe."

"I had to. I could not let him have you."

"Have me?" Isabella tried to take a small step toward him, but Edward hissed and pressed further into the corner, sending her stumbling back into a chair.

"There were three of them," Edward continued in a low voice. "They were searching for the child of a woman they had killed almost twenty years ago."

Isabella's heart clenched as he continued his tale.

"Her blood had called to one of them. James. The wolves had already destroyed him and his mate when Laurent found you. He recognized you immediately. We never forget our prey."

"My mother," Isabella whispered, clenching her eyes tightly together to hold back the tears that blurred her vision.

Edward nodded.

"He wanted you. Wanted you for more than just your blood. I couldn't…"

Edward stopped when he heard the sob escape Isabella's lips. He could smell the salt in her tears as they rolled down her cheeks. As much as he desired to, he found he could not trust himself just yet to wrap her in his arms and provide the comfort she needed. The images of what Laurent wished to do to Isabella ran through Edward's mind over and over, fueling his fury. He tried to calm himself, focusing on the battle, how he had defeated Laurent, how he knew Laurent's body was now being burned and how the vampire would never again torment a living soul.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Edward felt the anger drain from his body. He hesitantly approached Isabella who now sat in a ladder-back chair with her face in her hands, silently sobbing.

Sensing his approach, Isabella leapt up and threw her arms around Edward's neck, burying her face in the crook. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her as she sobbed.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, completely baffled by the emotions running through him.

Edward was used to jealousy, blind envy, and greed. In the past, when he desired someone, he took them, consequences be damned. When someone else possessed what he wanted, he took it. When someone tried to take what he owned, he fought tooth and nail to keep it. But in all of those past situations, he was the focal point. When it came to something that he felt belonged to him, he fought for it without guilt or remorse. It was as simple as that.

But now, he had changed. Laurent had wanted to bed Isabella, and while Edward desired her more than anything in the world, he was not about to allow someone else to make the decision for her. Who she would be with and how she would be with them, was entirely her choice. The concept was strange, foreign, and yet, oh, so right.

Edward closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her in his arms. She fit so perfectly against him. Yes, he was pained at her tears, but it was he that she came to him for comfort. Now he found her in his arms, her toes dangling in the air.

Finally, Isabella pulled her face out of the crook of his neck, snuffling a little and wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"Are you all right?" she said with a hoarse croak in her voice.

Edward chuckled softly, shaking his head at her words.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"You fought a vampire."

"I have fought several vampires in my time, Isabella." He tapped is temple with one finger. "I have a slight advantage over the average vampire, though. I know what their next move is going to be."

"But that doesn't mean…"

"He could have defeated me, yes. It was highly unlikely, but yes, it could have happened."

With a squeak of fear, Isabell buried her face back into his neck, clutching to him more fiercely than before.

"Would it have upset you if I had lost?"

She silently nodded, her head bobbing up and down ferociously.

"Then I shall endeavor not to…"

Edward's words were cut off when Isabella's mouth covered his in a passionate kiss, her legs wrapping around his waist as she fully pressed against him, her hands tangled in his mussed hair to hold him close.

**~STTBW~**

**Well…I guess Isabella's made her choice as well.**

**Would love to know what you think because ….**

**Today is my DD1's 15****th**** birthday. How the heck did that happen?**

**I'd tell you to stay off the roads, but the DMV is closed on Mondays so she can't get her driver's permit until later in the week.**

**But the next chapter may be delayed while I stare at pictures of my baby... And drown my sorrows in cider and dark chocolate. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Unbetaed because I'm impatient to get this out to you. And this chapter is truly M rated.**

**On with the show…**

Chapter 21:

Edward's eyes widened as he realized what Isabella was doing. One moment, she was standing before him, vigorously shaking her head in agreement that he should be ever vigilant in the event he fought a vampire ever again; the next she leapt upon him, clinging to him as if her very existence depended upon it, roughly pressing her lips against his. What she lacked in finesse in the kissing department, she more than made up for with enthusiasm. He found that he was pleased that she was not experienced and looked forward to educating her for the rest of their existence.

He felt a low rumbling build in in his chest as the beast inside roused.

_Take._

_Mine._

Edward struggled to maintain control. There would come a time that he could completely lose his grip over the beast within, but tonight would not be that time.

Her hands moved from his hair to his face, her fingertips lightly caressing his cheeks and jaw, avoiding the rapidly healing cuts, then back to his hair, tugging as she tried to tilt his head toward hers. Without thinking, she pressed herself closer and tighter into him.

_Now!_

Edward felt his resolve slipping away.

Suddenly, Isabella's demeanor changed, and she froze in place as her mind opened to him. Her entire being tensed in horror at her actions.

_No, no, no, no, no, no…_

Isabella began to struggle to free herself from his grasp but only succeeded in hiking her skirts further up her legs as Edward wrapped one arm around her waist, the other just below her buttocks to hold her in place.

"Why do you say 'no,' Love?" he whispered in a strained voice. The friction between their bodies was too much to ignore, and he tried to still her.

A quick look of embarrassment flitted over Isabella's face as she avoided meeting his eyes.

"Isabella?"

Again, she refused to meet his inquiring gaze.

"Bella?" Edward ducked his head, trying to chide her into responding. His voice was a low purr, causing a shiver to course through her. He realized her thoughts were once again closed to him. "I cannot help if you do not tell me what is bothering you."

Isabella had never experienced such emotions. She wanted more. While she had a vague idea of what that would involve physically and emotionally, a part of her was afraid Edward would vanish once he took her innocence. Yet in spite of her fears, every fiber of her being yearned to be closer to him. How could she be this way when she had only known Edward for a few days? Sure that was not enough time to…

"Bella?"

"I threw myself at you," she said in a soft whisper, eyes clenched shut in frustration.

"And I responded in kind."

She shook her head. Even in her little corner of the world, she had learned what was acceptable behavior for a man was not the same as what was acceptable for a woman.

"Please put me down."

"No."

"Sir…"

"I think we are quite beyond such formality." He smiled, earning a frustrated growl and a shove to his chest in response.

Isabella struggled more to free herself. She was a kitten bowing up before a lion and it took all he had to not grin broadly in amusement at her fury.

Isabella was so adorably human in her vain attempt to move him.

Human.

_But not for long,_ whispered the beast within.

"Tell me what has upset you," Edward gently requested, trying to ignore just where her breasts and his hands were. The mind was willing, but the flesh was weak. He felt himself harden and fought the urge to pull her closer and make use of the bed just a pace away.

_Take._

_Now._

Isabella's eyes shifted to glance over at a mirror. Edward saw a couple with tousled hair, bright eyes, and kiss-swollen lips. His clothes were dirty and torn from his battle with Laurent; her skirts hiked up above her knees as her legs were still wrapped around his waist. He saw the bits of white lace that adorned her undergarments peek out under the deep blue of her dress and wondered if there were ties or hooks holding it together.

In all of his days, human and vampire, he had never seen anything as alluring as what was reflected back at him right then.

"I was so relieved that you were not hurt, I guess I did not think of the impropriety…"

"Impropriety?" Edward said with a scoffing noise. "I had you taken from your home in the middle of the night because I wanted you in my bed. I think we are quite beyond being concerned with impropriety."

"But…"

"Hush," he whispered, tilting his head so their foreheads touched. "Breathe, my Isabella. I believe it is safe to say we both desire the other."

After a moment, she calmed, relaxing into his arms. Edward could not help but think of how natural this felt, as if they were made to fit together. Her thoughts, although disjointed, began to open to him once again.

"What am I to you?" Isabella finally said in a meek whisper.

Words like _courtesan_ and _concubine_ darted through her mind. Visions of a single night where he forced his attentions upon her only to leave her at morning light broken, alone, and abandoned flew through her thoughts.

Edward growled in anger, quickly ceasing when he realized Isabella cowered at the sound. She was his treasure, never to be put aside.

"What are you to me?"

She nodded.

"You are my everything. Everything I have ever wanted and everything I have ever run from."

Isabella tilted her head in confusion.

"You are my forever, Isabella Swan. Until you send me away, I am by your side."

_Mine._ The beast agreed.

She studied his face for a moment, trying to discern if he was telling the truth and saw no signs of deceit.

"Like Leah and Jacob?"

Memories of the wolf-shifter couple's relationship, granted they were colored by Isabella's perspective, flashed through her mind. Edward realized it mirrored that of the couples in his family and nodded.

"No leaving in the middle of the night?"

Guilt filled her mind as she realized she was not supposed to know that part of the story. Charles had attempted to hide it from her for her entire life, but during one particularly raucous celebration, a little too much fermented barley had loosened his tongue when he thought she had been asleep. Now she knew how her mother's life had ended, and while the closure was appreciated, a deep-centered pain welled within her chest. Edward promised silently that he would strive to never give her a reason to doubt the depth of his feelings for her.

"Unless you send me out," Edward vowed.

Isabella thought for a moment. She did not entirely understand what it would mean to be with Edward forever, for she had no strong example on which to base her decision. Yet she had watched Father Carlisle and his Esme since they had come to her village and admired the tender love and care she saw. If Edward was anything like them that was a forever she could be content with. She smiled gently before making the slightest of nods.

"I want," she whispered.

Edward's face fairly glowed from the broad smile he made in response.

"Now, let me try something. Be very still."

Without hesitation to allow her to debate, he kissed her softly, silently urging her to respond to his attentions. A sweet sigh of satisfaction escaped her lips as she did, learning quickly how to match his movements. He traced one finger down her jaw, gently urging her to open to him which she did, earning a groan of pleasure as he deepened their kiss. Isabella's hands gently slid under Edward's torn overcoat and without even realizing she was doing so eased it over his shoulders.

Isabella vaguely heard the clattering noise as the top of a dresser was cleared off before she was carefully placed upon it. Edward's coat followed the comb, mirror, and assorted bottles onto the floor. She stared in silence at him as he seemed to wait for her to say something, anything.

"Do you want this?" Edward finally asked in a strangled voice, holding himself in check.

_Take. Mine._

He had a tenuous grip on his control, on the beast within that was struggling to get free.

"Do you want me? For eternity? And all it takes to obtain that?"

Isabella nodded.

"There is pain involved. More intense than anything you have ever experienced."

"You will be there throughout it?"

"Every second."

"And after?"

"Until you send me away."

"And when it is done?"

"Hell itself could not separate us."

Isabella thought for a moment before nodding.

The beast roared in approval.

"Say it," Edward pleaded in a low voice, his eyes darkening to the deepest black.

Isabella gazed into his eyes, meeting his stare unblinkingly.

"I want you," she replied in a strong voice, no louder than a whisper. "Forever."

Edward bowed his head in acknowledgement and silently removed her boots, one at a time, massaging her feet and ankles. He smiled as Isabella giggled when his fingers brushed against a particularly sensitive spot. Edward placed his hands at her waist and gently assisted her to her feet before turning Isabella to face the mirror.

She looked at her reflection, focusing more on the disheveled man behind who stared intently at her.

"My Isabella," Edward murmured, running his lips down the column of her throat as his arms wrapped around her waist.

Isabella swallowed hard, unable to speak. The coolness of his touch and the pleasure evoked by it caused her to shiver and close her eyes.

She felt the fastenings on the back of her dress give way and watched as Edward eased first one sleeve and then the other off her shoulders. Her dress fell with a soft rustle to pool at her feet.

As Edward continued to place soft kisses across the nape of her neck, he tugged at the ties that held a light corset in place. It, too, fell to the floor.

Isabella looked into the mirror to see a young woman with flushed cheeks and rosy lips slightly parted, clad in the finest, lightest-weight cotton underclothes imaginable as Edward watched her intently.

_This must be what it feels like to be desired._

"Yes," Edward whispered, placing another kiss on her shoulder. "Beautiful."

He took her hand and gently guided her toward the bed. Edward sat on the edge and pulled Isabella to straddle his lap.

"I am yours," he whispered, his hands interlaced and resting on her bottom.

Isabella tentatively placed her hands on his chest, earning a nod of approval.

"You are mine," Isabella murmured, fumbling with the fastenings of his shirt. With a little struggling, she finally tugged the last button free but found Edward refused to release his hold on her to allow the shirt to be removed.

Isabella pulled on the torn fabric but he shook his head.

"No."

"But…"

"It will cost you," he said with a boyish grin.

Isabella could almost imagine Edward cajoling his way out of a punishment with this look.

"But…"

In a whirlwind, Isabella found herself stripped of her undergarments and laying underneath Edward as he knelt over her. With a slow grin, he eased the shirt off and tossed it to the floor before lowering himself onto her.

Isabella softly gasped in shock and then pleasure as she felt his weight against her. The fine wool of his britches brushed against her bare legs as he traced his lips over her forehead, across her eyelids and then to her ear.

"Mine," he murmured, reveling in how her body responded to his touch.

Edward continued to ghost his lips over her jaw, smiling as she giggled when he nipped playfully at the thin flesh that covered her jugular.

_Mine._

Soon, he assured the beast. But not yet.

Edward's tongue lightly trailed over her collarbone before he ventured lower, placing a soft kiss over her heart.

Isabella arched her back and gasped as he blew cool air over the damp spot his kiss had left.

"You like?" he whispered, looking up at her through his eyelashes, earning a silent nod.

By all the heavens, she was gorgeous stretched out on his bed, trusting him completely as his lips drifted over one breast, lightly teasing first one peaked nipple and then the other. Her sounds of pleasure were sweeter than anything he had ever heard.

Never in all of his existence, human or vampire, had Edward ever imagined he would be here, in the house he had been born in, where his parents had died, with someone like Isabella. His Isabella.

_Mine._

Isabella wriggled underneath him, her fingers laced through his hair as he continued to suckle her, teasing her further and further. She felt a tightening low in her belly and rubbed her thighs together in a futile effort to ease the ache.

"Ah, ah, ah," Edward clucked, placing one hand on her hip to still her. His thumb traced soothing circles over the bone. "Not yet, Isabella."

He smiled at the questions that flew through her mind, but continued to hold her in place. Edward was a selfish bastard and wanted her pleasure to be solely caused by him.

"But…"

Edward placed one finger over her lips to silence her.

"Scoot back."

After she obeyed, he took her hands and placed them on the spindles of the headboard.

"Do not let go until I tell you to do so."

Isabella studied him for a moment before a shy smile crept over her face. She nodded silently and watched as he slid off the bed and unfastened his britches. They quickly joined the other clothes on the floor. He knew she was studying him, her eyes widening as she realized they were both naked.

And she liked what she saw. Her thoughts told him how she admired the breadth of his shoulders, the strength of his chest, and more.

Without a word, Edward placed a soft kiss on a scar at her ankle.

_When I fell in the pond, _she remembered.

And then another kiss was laid on a healing scrape on her knee.

_I tripped at the market._

Edward gently held her thighs still as he laid a kiss on a freckle near her hipbone before trailing his lips lower, brushing oh-so-lightly over delicate skin.

_What are you…_

Isabella's thoughts ceased, not because her mind closed to him but because she no longer could form a coherent thought as he parted her thighs and gently swept his tongue over her most sensitive of places. Every muscle in her body tensed as he opened her further and continued to pleasure her.

The tightening she had felt a few minutes before recommenced, intensifying as he licked and sucked. Isabella chanced to open her eyes and looked down at Edward.

"Let go and I stop," he whispered in a low voice.

Edward smiled a self-satisfied grin as he felt her grip on the spindles tighten.

She was close, and he knew it. From the warm honey that dripped from her to the rapidly pounding heartbeat, he was certain her pleasure was bearing down on her.

But he was a selfish creature. Later, there would be time for her to orgasm on his tongue. But tonight, he wanted her to be pushed over the edge by his cock.

Isabella writhed underneath him, reveling in the pleasure Edward was bringing to her. Far in the back of her mind, she remembered Sue's lesson on the relations between men and women.

_Blood and pain._

"Only for a moment, my love," Edward whispered, suddenly next to her ear, causing her to start.

He soothed her, running his hands over her cheeks and jaw.

"Tell me to stop, and I will."

Isabella shook her head in denial. She wanted this. She wanted him.

"Wrap your arms around me," he murmured, moving to kneel between her thighs as she did.

"Mine," Edward agreed before thrusting into Isabella, swallowing her response as he covered her mouth with his.

_Mine_, Isabella sighed, pinching her eyes shut as a single tear threatened to spill over her cheek.

Edward slowly withdrew before sliding back home, reveling in the warmth, the tightness that was his Isabella.

She gasped as he moved, the pain now gone, replaced by the tightening she had felt twice before. Suddenly, the intensity grew, barreling down upon her. Isabella could not stop it, not that she wanted it to cease. Her groans and cries of pleasure grew louder and louder until her entire being tensed and suddenly exploded into shimmers of pleasure.

_Mine_, roared the beast just before Edward's teeth sank into Isabella's throat.

**~~STTBW~~**

***Peeks out between fingers* How we all doing out there in reader-land?**

**I do apologize for the delay in posting this chapter—RL was busy &amp; then I decided hey, October 31****st**** is my Twilight FanFiction anniversary (since 2009!) I'll post the chapter then. And my computer crashed. Thank heaven for DH's remote backups!**

**Yours truly has been nominated in two categories for the TwiFic Fandom Awards—Favorite Ficlet (Counting Chickens) and Favorite Out of this World Fic (She tames the beast within). There are sooooo many of my favorites listed in all the categories. First round voting ends 11/7, and you can vote every day. **

**It's time for the annual write 50k words challenge otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. I'm doing it so let's cross our fingers Beast gets the most attention, okay?**

***mwah!***

**DeJean**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you to Fran for reading over &amp; making beta magic. All mistakes are mine, though.**

Chapter 22:

_Mine_.

Just as Edward had felt her body tense around his, with his own release barreling down, the beast had risen, taking control of him. Unable to resist, he had bit her, reveling in the warm, sweet blood as it flowed down his throat. His long pulls matched every beat of her heart until he had felt it slow.

Momentarily sated, the beast calmed and Edward felt himself regaining control. Panic gripped his long-stilled heart as he suddenly realized what was happening. Edward withdrew and quickly assessed what he had done.

He cried out her name, horrified at how broken Isabella appeared, pale and still underneath him. He shook her, growing more panicked by the moment. The silence seemed an eternity as he tried to garner any response. Edward had never witnessed another's transformation and had no idea of what to expect.

And then she gasped, her eyes flying open as the first wave of venom coursed through her. The relief was short lived as Isabella began convulsing, a gasping cry flying from her lips.

Edward realized she was still bleeding and moved to seal the punctures in her throat, but she fought him. The struggle was not a conscious effort on Isabella's part, but with the passion and terror of a wounded animal. It pained him to see Isabella in pain, her eyes unseeing as she tried to shove him away with all the strength she had. He had soothed her with soft words and gentle touches, reminding her of who he was and of their forever. Even in her deepest agony, Isabella recognized his voice and gradually calmed. The moment of peace allowed him to lick at the two punctures on her throat, closing them neatly.

_It will be worth it._

Her thoughts were loud in the silence of the room, and Edward began to pray that she was right.

Isabella collapsed on the bed next to him without a sound, oblivious to Edward's guilt. He remembered his own transformation but just barely. He had been ill before it had occurred and in the haze of a high fever, had thought he was merely in a nightmare as it began.

A soft knock at the door brought his attention back to the room where he now sat.

_It is just Esme and me._

Of course, his sister, Alice, would know where he was. He heard her thoughts as he made sure Isabella was properly covered and grabbed his discarded britches from the floor.

_We left the men at your house, disposing of Laurent's body._

Edward saw through her memories the wolves talking with his brothers while Esme and Alice packed a small satchel of clothes and other necessities. He opened the door and allowed the women into the bedroom.

Esme quickly surveyed her surroundings, assuring herself that Isabella was unharmed.

_She's going to be beautiful, Edward._

"She already was, Esme," Edward murmured, watching as his mate lay still upon his childhood bed.

His mate.

Edward suddenly realized what he had called her. Yes, he had wanted her from the moment he first laid eyes on her. Originally, that desire had been as a possession; but even when he had moved beyond simple ownership, he had shied away from the depth of his emotions.

His mate.

Never before had he allowed himself to think of Isabella as such. Vampire mates were forever, transcending the barriers of time, of existence, and certainly not something approved of in Volterra. He had fought against the notion when it had been brought up before, but now, the concept was as natural as breathing had been when he was human. Edward simply could not imagine a time without his Isabella.

_She is going to be amazing, brother!_

Edward had to smile at his sister's enthusiasm. Images of Isabella, her eyes quickly fading from the ruby red of a newborn to the golden of an animal drinker filled her mind and thereby his.

_And she learns the way so quickly! She can be a help when…_

The quick image of Rosalie's plan for the end of Sheriff Newton's life flitted through her mind but was cut off when Edward began to growl.

This was a precious time to him and he was not going to allow the memory of the _honorable_ sheriff to besmirch it.

_You are going to have to talk to the wolves. I sort of promised you wouldn't hurt her._

Edward's mouth opened to deny harming his Isabella but stopped when he saw his diminutive sister's hand rise to halt him.

"They will understand. As long as you prove your commitment to her the wolf shifters will have no issue with her joining you."

Alice paused as a vision flitted through her mind so rapidly that Edward had a difficult time following what it meant.

"Oh, that." She turned toward Edward with a broad grin. "You will have to face your new father-in-law and explain what happened. That's all."

Edward briefly wondered if facing the Volturi would be a better option.

"No," Alice answered for him. "The Volturi will be happy you have found your anchor and are less of a liability."

She once again paused to think.

"And the first time Isabella and Tanya meet will be quite entertaining for them. Succubae do tend to be a bit of a public relations issue, and the taking down a notch or twelve that Isabella is going to do will teach Tanya a lesson once and for all."

"Do I even want to know?" Esme asked, returning to the room with a basin of warm water.

"Not in the slightest," Alice replied, taking the bowl and holding it out to Edward. "We will be available should you need us, but I am certain you do not want us to care for her."

"No." Edward took the offered cleansing supplies and turned back to his Isabella. She was his alone to care for. No one else would touch her as long as he existed.

She lay stone still in the middle of the rumpled bed, covered by the blanket he had tenderly placed over her. Her long brown hair tangled around her head, a random leaf and twig from where they had run from Laurent and the wolves stuck out. He carefully discarded the detritus and smoothed one lock away from her face.

Even in the throes of her transformation, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever witnessed.

"She's going to be magnificent, Edward," Esme murmured as Alice nodded in agreement.

"Should I have waited?"

"There is no sure way to determine. You made the decision. I assume not unilaterally?"

Edward shook his head. He had told her. Perhaps, he had not been entirely honest and granted full disclosure, but he had informed her of the pain.

"Then focus on who she is going to be upon awakening. Your Isabella."

"Thank you, Esme."

"Now, we are going to leave to you clean up. There are new clothes for both of you. And Alice thought you might like…"

He saw a small box in her memory and nodded. Yes. That was something he very much wanted. Now all he had to do was await her awakening. Until that moment, he would wash away the blood from her body and dress her in the clothes Esme and Alice had brought.

**~STTBW~**

**Shorter chapter, yes, but this was a good place to stop.**

**I am so thrilled at the reactions to the last chapter. I have to admit, I was a bit skittish with how things unfolded, but I liked it and hope you would as well.**

**Thank you for your continued support and your reviews. I greatly appreciate each and every one.**

**See you next Monday with Isabella's awakening.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you for the votes for the Twific Fandom Awards. I did not make it to round two, but to be nominated was a great honor, and I thank you.**

**Fran gave this a looksee…but I add. It's a sickness, really.**

Chapter 23:

Three days.

Edward remained by Isabella's side for three days and three nights. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching over her, waiting for her to open her eyes, praying to whatever god might be listening that she be safe.

He had cleaned her, lovingly washing her body, and dressing her in a fine gown. Her hair was brushed and laid out around her head to dry in soft waves. Edward gently took her hand and curled his fingers between hers. She was rapidly approaching his own body temperature, a sure sign the end of her transformation was near.

Edward thought about the ring Esme had brought him. It was a simple gold band, the first piece of jewelry his father had given his mother. As the senior Masen had grown in stature in the community, he had replaced that band with a more ornate, more fitting one. Edward's mother had told him of it and promised, should he so desire, it could be given to her future daughter-in-law. He placed a light kiss on Isabella's wrist before gently placing her hand on her stomach, thinking that piece of gold would be perfect on his mate's hand.

During those three days, her mind remained closed to him, which made perfect sense. He vaguely remembered the pain of his own transformation. Unbearably, she remained oh so still, the only sound in the room was her soft breathing and the slow, pondering beating of her heart.

Some made it this far only not to survive. Surely the creator would not be so cruel and rip her away from him when they had come so far.

_Edward?_

Alice appeared at the door, cautiously peering inside the room. She had learned not to sneak up on him after the first day. He nearly tore her head off, literally, when he had not heard her approach. She quickly forgave him, but the memory was fresh and it was a mistake she would not make again.

"She's close. You can hear how her heart slows and stutters."

Alice set down a small satchel.

"You both will need this, I think."

Edward did not look at his sister but nodded to indicate he heard her.

"We will see you back at your home tomorrow."

Again, he did not respond.

Alice placed a gentle hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Can you see her?" he asked in a croaky voice. "Does she survive?"

"Yes. Well, I see part of her future. It's not clear and it certainly is not complete. What I can see is her awakening."

Edward's entire being relaxed in one huff at the good news.

Alice gave a small smile and showed him through her thoughts Isabella, resplendent in all her vampire beauty.

"And I can see you are going to need two new sets of clothes. That is what is in the satchel."

"But…"

Edward stopped in the midst of his thoughts. He knew that newborns were often out of control, every sense heightened beyond human comprehension. Alice had surely meant that Isabella ruined her clothes during her first hunt or some such.

"Not entirely," his sister sang, filling her thoughts with shoes, fashion and other such drivel that interested him not in the least. "Esme and I will tell the others you will soon be home."

Alice gazed at her friend lying motionless on the bed.

"She is going to take to our world like no other. Perhaps Eleazar can explain better the why and how, but she is going to be magnificent. And in control."

"I just want her by my side, Alice. I lost control and…"

Alice smacked him on the back of the head, earning a cry of pain. He stood and glared down at his younger sibling, rubbing the sore spot.

"What was that for?"

"Do not regret what has been done. The end result is that you and Isabella will be together, and you will get your head out of your ass and return to the family. That is worth it all."

Alice bowed up to her full height, still only meeting him mid-chest.

"She has brought you back to us. And for some unknown reason, she chose you to spend the rest of her eternity with."

"I had her kidnapped, Alice. I don't see that as her having a choice."

"You gave her the option of leaving. Didn't you?"

He thought for a moment before nodding. He had, indeed, told her he would leave if that had been her desire. He had even pondered pleading with the Volturi to end his existence had she turned him down.

"So quit being so emo and enjoy your mate."

"Emo?"

"Long story. Future word. Sorry. Depressed, withdrawn, solitary."

He nodded again, trying to understand his sister's line of thought even when it did not make sense to him at the time.

Alice suddenly turned toward Isabella and then her eyes took on a faraway look. Edward waited intently for word on what her vision meant since the images made little sense to him.

"Not long now. Not long at all," she finally said before stepping up on her tiptoes and placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "See you tonight … no, make that tomorrow morning."

And she was gone, leaving Edward to once again watch over his Isabella.

The mantel clock ground and chimed the next quarter hour, each tick seemingly growing longer and further apart. Time appeared to almost cease its movement, Edward thought, growing more and more impatient.

As the clock began its machinations to chime yet again, Edward strode over to the mantel, preparing to throw his mother's clock into the fireplace if need be.

A soft gasp brought his attention around and he found his Isabella sitting up on the bed, looking frantically around the room. She only paused when she saw him.

"Edward?"

Never before had someone's voice sounded so sweet to his ears.

"Isabella," he breathed, relief evident in his voice.

She stared at the space between them, not focusing on anything in particular.

"Am I seeing things? I…" She waved her hands in front of her face as if to shoo away flies.

"All of what you are is now heightened, my love," he replied in a calm, soothing voice. He did not want to startle her and tried to be as reassuring as possible although it went against every nerve in his being not to dash across the room and take her into his arms. "Your vision, your hearing, your sense of smell. Everything is much more powerful now. You are seeing the dust that floats in the air. It has always been there; you just have not seen it before."

He slowly moved toward her and held one hand out. She took it, earning a wince at the grip.

"You are much stronger than I am right now as well," he said after she dropped his hand in panicked horror. "That will settle soon, but for now you are probably even stronger than Emmett."

Edward gently took her hand and wrapped it around his. She stared at their joined hands and then up at him, a bright smile lighting up her entire face.

"First, we must feed you. I would have brought you sustenance, but I did not wish to leave your side."

"How long was I asleep?"

Isabella allowed him to ease her out of the bed. She stood, a bit wobbly at first, like a newborn deer but quickly gained her bearings.

"Almost three days."

"Three?"

Edward realized he could not hear her thoughts.

"Are you upset?"

She pondered for a moment before shaking her head. No, the word 'upset' was nowhere near how she felt. In fact, she had never been better. Everything appeared so much more vibrant. The colors around her were brighter; Edward's voice more melodious. Her heart felt full to bursting with joy.

She looked at Edward and smiled, earning a cautious one in return.

"So I am like you?"

"Except for one thing."

He guided her to the mirror and gently positioned her in front of it. At first, she saw a handsome couple reflected back at her, Edward carefully watching her reaction as she quickly cataloged the sight before her. For the most part, she appeared the same. Same brown hair, maybe a little shinier and smoother. Same pale skin, perhaps a little more even toned and her lips are a little redder.

She touched her lips, remembering Edward's kisses, wishing for more of them.

And then Isabella saw her eyes. Glowing ruby eyes stared back at her. She gasped in shock and horror, jumping back against Edward who held her steady, running his hands up and down her arms soothingly.

"They will fade," Edward hummed, wrapping his arms around her. "Within the passing of the four seasons, your eyes will fade and look like mine or Alice's. Mayhap even sooner."

"You are certain?"

He nodded, pleased that she believed him and relaxed into his arms with a sigh of contentment.

Isabella leaned forward to examine herself closer in the mirror. She lightly touched a spot on her throat; a small scar, barely noticeable to anyone who did not know what to look for. It is his mark on her. For eternity.

"Forever?"

He stared intently into the mirror, meeting her questioning gaze with one filled with serious intensity.

"Forever mine."

Edward is rewarded with the biggest, brightest smile he has ever seen and dropped a quick kiss over the bite mark. Isabella's sounds of pleasure filled the room, reminding him of three nights ago.

"We best feed you before we go down that path," he murmurs, regretful that he must be responsible for a short time longer.

Isabella's hand moved to her throat, a small tickle growing. It was not unbearable, more like when one first wakes and is in need of a cool drink.

"Does it burn?" Edward asked with genuine concern.

"No. I hardly noticed anything until you mentioned it. Can't you tell?"

He shook his head.

"I haven't heard a single thought from you since ... since right after I bit you."

"Why?"

Edward took her hand and gently guided them toward the door.

"I do not know. Alice mentioned inquiring of a friend of ours. Eleazar. He has a penchant for determining the talents of other vampires. He might know the answer."

Although she can tell it is early morning, the woods behind Edward's family home seems as brightly lit as noon time.

"Now listen," he whispered, nodding toward a small grove.

Isabella obeyed and heard a handful of heartbeats.

"Deer," Edward said with a smile, knowing her favorite meat from her human life, before jogging in the beastie's general direction.

Isabella's face brightened at his words, and she began to run, following his lead. No more than five steps into her paces, though, she tripped, her foot catching on the long hem of her skirt causing her to roll through the underbrush. The tearing and tumbling noises frightened the deer and they could be heard stampeding away.

In the blink of an eye, Isabella gathered herself and tore her dress to a more running-friendly length before she took off after the largest of the herd. Edward watched in amazement as she gracefully captured and drained the buck, letting her instincts take over. He slowly approached her, unsure of her reaction and wary that she might not take well to even a perceived threat of someone taking her prey. Yet Isabella surprised him. She stood beside the dead dear and waited for Edward to say something.

"Did I do that right?" she finally inquired.

"As if you had been hunting for decades."

"You don't need to sound so surprised."

He shook his head.

"I think I am going to learn that you will never cease to surprise me, my Isabella."

She beamed brightly at him, pleased with his assessment.

The soft rustling of hooves through the underbrush caught Isabella's attention and in a blur, she jumped up and ran after the noise. Edward followed at a respectable distance. By the time he caught up, she was wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, looking around for him.

Isabella's face brightened as she saw him approach. She playfully poked at her stomach, giggling at the sloshy feeling it had.

"I feel a bit full now."

"That is good."

Edward sat down on a fallen tree a few feet away, staring at her intently.

"Do I have something out of place?" Isabella straightened her dress before futzing with her hair, pulling an errant leaf out and letting it fall to the ground.

"No. Nothing is wrong at all."

"Then why do you stare at me?"

"I am amazed, that is all."

"At?"

"How it appears you were born to this life. When I went on my first hunt, I tore my clothes to shreds and it took several tries to bring down my first mountain lion."

Isabella giggled before looking down at her dress.

"My clothing did not exactly escape without damage."

"No, that may be, but yours was intentional."

She shrugged.

"And I certainly do not mind the view." He gazed at her calves, remembering what it felt to have them wrapped around him.

"Do you need to feed?" Isabella inquired, motioning toward the direction the remaining deer had run, oblivious to Edward's thoughts.

"It probably would not be a bad idea since we are expected to return by morning."

Edward looked around before a decidedly human heartbeat and thoughts caught his attention. He immediately tensed and moved closer to Isabella, unsure of what her reaction would be.

"What?" she asked, looking around at the surrounding woods.

"Hunters. Just over that ridge."

"Is that what it is?"

The breeze changed direction, bringing the scent of the hunting party to them. Isabella stiffened when the delectable smell of human blood wafted before her.

"Isabella?" Edward took her hands in his, standing before her, trying to distract her away from the men.

He waited a few moments, watching her eyes shift from ruby red to a darker, more intense shade.

"Come back to me, my Bella." Edward's voice was soothing, calling her like a siren.

Isabella blinked a few times and shook her head, her eyes fading to a lighter hue before she smiled up at him.

"Hi."

"Hi." His voice held a tone of wariness.

"What?"

"You did not bolt."

"No. I smelled something heavenly but not something I had to have."

"That was the blood of the hunters. It takes the average vampire decades to get to the point that they can resist the scent as you just did."

Isabella shrugged, not knowing how to respond to his words.

Nearby, the now smaller flock of deer slowly began to return to their grazing lands, moving closer and closer to Edward and Isabella.

"Your turn?"

Edward nodded, hesitant to let go of Isabella's hands.

"I will be fine, Edward. I will be right here, watching you."

"Oh, I am no longer concerned for the hunters."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"Perhaps I should just show you."

Edward released her hands and in a blur, dashed off after a nearby deer. Isabella watched in amazement at the grace he exhibited as he brought the largest animal to the ground before he began to feed. He heard her inhale quickly as the first warm swallows flowed down his throat.

Warm, golden eyes met hers as he looked up through his eyelashes at her as he continued to drink, a warning growl rumbling in the back of his throat as she took a step toward him. Without thinking, the feral sound came forth and he drank faster as if somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought she might take his prey from him.

Now she understood what she had been told by the wolves long ago. One thing the shifters and vampires shared was their baser nature. Watching your mate hunt as he or she was participating the chase and the mind-games played before the kill, she could imagine that there were very few things in the world that would be more intoxicating, more arousing.

_Mine._

This time, it was her own inner voice staking a claim.

He was hers and she wanted him.

Now.

Isabella took another step toward Edward, swallowing involuntarily, matching his gulps as he drained the deer before pushing it away.

"Isabella…." he warned, his voice lower, drawing out the word. He crouched on the ground, next to the beast, watching her intensely.

"Edward," she whispered, matching his tone.

"You…" He wanted to warn her to stay away but at the same time, the desire for her, his mate, to be closer was stronger.

"I'm here." She took another step toward him.

"I know."

"Forever. With you."

Isabella reached down and took his face in her hands, staring into his eyes.

_Mine._

But this time, it was not Edward's inner voice. It was Isabella's that staked the claim.

His eyes widened as he heard her thoughts for the first time since her awakening.

"What?" she asked, not knowing.

"I think I heard you."

Isabella smiled broadly.

_You are mine, Edward._

He placed his hands atop hers and smiled, his eyes shining with adoration.

"I am," he whispered.

Memories of their time together just before her change filled her mind and he saw each and every touch, heard each and every sound, and relived each and every moment.

All before making some new ones.

Alice was quite right about needing another set of clothes before they returned home in the morning.

**~STTBW~**

**Next chapter…they return home, talk to the wolves, and take care of the good sheriff. At least, that is the plan. Between job applications (cross your fingers for more interviews!), volunteer obligations, real life, a birthday celebration (mine!), and traveling for the American Thanksgiving holiday, it may be two weeks before the next chapter goes live. **

**I know you all understand, but I like letting my dear readers know.**

**Thank you for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites. You have no idea how much they all mean to me!**

**DeJean**


	24. Chapter 24

**I'm back! Miss me? I've greatly missed writing.**

**Meyers' characters, my plotline, Fran betas…**

Chapter 24:

Two figures ran through the countryside, dodging between the trees and vaulting over boulders, their progress a blur as they made their way back toward Edward's house. Every now and then the sound of a woman giggling could be heard. Often, the hearty chuckling of a man would follow.

Isabella's joy overflowed in her chest as she ran, taking in her surroundings with new eyes. Everything appeared brighter and more vibrant. Every few miles, either Edward or Isabella would steal a kiss from the other, two bodies crashing into each other, often at the expense of the landscape.

Edward pulled up short on a rise overlooking Isabella's homeland. A shift in the wind caused him to inhale deeply. Isabella noticed the subtle stiffening of his shoulders and followed his example, taking in all she could with her newly heightened senses. She shuddered, nearly gagging at the odor that the breeze brought her.

"What is that stench?" she murmured, lacing her arm through his.

"That is your friend, Jacob." Edward looked around before motioning with his head toward the west. "He's running this way." He continued to stare at a few small blurs, barely visible at the edge of the horizon. "Along with the rest of the pack."

Isabella waved her hand in front of her nose to shoo away the scent.

Edward chuckled and brushed his lips against her cheek.

"You do not have to breathe, my love. It makes it much more bearable if you don't. As for Jacob, he wants to see you before the pack will let you near the village."

"Why?"

"To see what type of vampire you are."

"How does he know I am one?"

_Alice._

Before the words were out of her mouth, Isabella knew the answer. Alice had told the pack in order to give them time to grow accustomed to the notion that she had been changed. She wondered how that piece of information had been accepted. William and Charles' friendship began in their childhood and grew throughout the years. Isabella said a quick prayer that nothing would change even though she had.

Suddenly, Isabella and Edward were surrounded by her wolf-y friends. They circled the couple, sniffing and snuffling around their feet. She stood amazed at the difference in the appearance of them now compared to her memories. She could see features she had never before realized. Leah's fur had a streak of rust-colored hair like the one that went down her left temple in her human form. Jacob-in-wolf-form's right ear was slightly larger than his left, just as she remembered.

She stood stock still as the wolves continued to circle around her, studying her, and sniffing at her skirt. Just as Edward had advised, she held her breath to avoid the stench of wet dog. Isabella cast a worried glance at Edward who watched and listened to the wolves' thoughts.

_Looks the same._

_Only better. She was pretty before, but now…_

_Seth!_

_What? Isabella has always been pretty! Now she's…_

Edward held back the growl that threatened to break free. Isabella gently laid one hand on his chest to calm him. She felt him relax ever so slightly and smiled up at him.

_But is she the same?_

_Look at her eyes!_

_Not as red as some. Redder than others._

_They all start off red. That is what William said._

_Hey! You rhymed._

_Seth!_

Isabella held back a giggle as one of the wolves nipped at Seth's haunch. Even though she could not hear the conversation between members of the pack, she had witnessed their rapport as humans. Seth was often the recipient of a punch in the arm or a tweak on the ear in an effort to correct his immature ways.

Jacob disappeared behind a clump of trees and reappeared in his human form, clad in the familiar pair of tattered britches she had seen him wear so many times. He stared at her intently, studying every detail before nodding shortly.

"So it's true."

Isabella glanced over at Edward, wondering what Jacob meant. There was just the slightest tinge of disapproval in Jacob's tone. She was not sure she would have recognized it with her human ears, but now, she seemed to hear every nuance crystal clear. Isabella tensed, wondering just what he meant.

"Your hair," Edward murmured close to her ear.

She patted the twisted braid she had pinned up before leaving Edward's childhood home, wondering what Jacob was hinting before the realization hit her. In their village, and possibly other areas surrounding them, girls wore their hair loose or if braided, down. A pinned up braid indicated a woman was taken. Isabella had thought nothing of it when she had fixed her hair; it was something she had grown up seeing and was as natural as breathing.

"Are you going to marry her now that you've taken her? Do her right?" Jacob demanded, glaring at Edward, who took a stance between his mate and the wolf-boy.

"_She_ is right here and is capable of making her own decisions," Isabella announced in a clipped tone, glaring at her long-time friend, one eyebrow perfectly arched. "Do we need to delve into how long it was when you _took_ Leah before you wed?"

Isabella's stance stiffened slightly as she heard the other wolves make a series of short, clipped barks that she took as chiding and teasing based off of the warm blush that now tinged Jacob's cheeks.

"Both of you need to end this sword rattling right now. Both."

Edward bobbed his head and took a step back. The pack looked at one another questioningly.

_He stepped down!_

_The vampire backed away!_

_Why?_

_Is it because…_

_Is it…_

_Mates? I heard William talk about those once._

_It's the only explanation._

_Like us?_

_Can it be?_

Edward's mind was filled with the communal mind chatter between the pack as they speculated just why he acted the way he did. They had little interaction with his kind and did not know just how deep the mate bond ran. He would do anything his Isabella demanded of him, with little or no thought to his own safety.

"I have not asked her as such, but it is my intent," Edward finally replied when the questions ran their course and the wolves' minds had quieted.

The harsh glare on Isabella's face softened and she took the few steps to stand next to her beloved, sliding one arm around his waist.

_Really?_

Edward nodded without a moment's hesitation. Beaming, she took his hand and faced her friends.

"So this is your choice," Jacob said, watching how Edward wrapped one arm around Isabella's waist and drew her closer.

"It is."

Jacob tilted his head and studied the couple. Edward could hear the countless thoughts and memories as they ran through the young man's mind. Finally, a cautionary tale told by an older man, one, who based off appearance, had to be William, Jacob's father, came to the forefront of Jacob's mind. One of trust and caution where golden eyed cold ones were to be befriended while ruby eyed ones, destroyed.

"Her eyes will change quickly," Edward murmured.

Jacob nodded before taking a step toward the couple.

Edward immediately tensed, not knowing what the young man intended to do.

Jacob thrust out one hand.

"Welcome to the family, bloodsucker."

Isabella rolled her eyes as Edward shook Jacob's hand.

"My father. Is he well?' she rapidly demanded.

"He is still at the jail. That blonde vampire…"

"Rosalie," Edward offered.

"Was with him for a while. Then the mountain-sized one."

"Emmett," Isabella said with a smile. She knew her father had enjoyed his company when they first met and Emmett's protective nature was enough to assure her that her father was safe.

"And the good sheriff?" Edward asked.

"Trying to find out where his two deputies have gone. Neither have reported for duty in several days," Jacob answered. "Do not suppose you know where they may be?"

Isabella looked over at Edward as he weighed his response.

"On second thought," Jacob interrupted, a knowing smile gracing his lips. "I am pretty sure I do not want to know."

Both men nodded in agreement.

"Not that anyone is going to cry at their funerals," he continued. "And no one will mourn when Michael Newton receives his reward."

"Which will be soon," Edward said solemnly.

"Sooner the better."

**Thank you for your patience as I plodded through the month of December. I survived! I got a job as a substitute teacher! I have my first assignment this Thursday (I get to be a high school US History &amp; Government teacher!—my undergrad degree was in History, so I'm very excited!) *ETA: Took a last minute position as a 6th grade Language Arts teacher in ... glances at watch ... an hour!*  
**

**I apologize that this chapter doesn't include everything I wanted it to include, but with it having been so long since the last one, I wanted to get SOMETHING out to y'all! My goal is to wrap up the main story in the next chapter (buh-bye, Sheriff) and then have a future take where Isabella meets Tanya.**

**Because my life went to chaos, I did not get to complete an entry for Age of Edward, but I do have a start on two which may end up being posted as one shots. Have you read the AoE entries? You need to and vote as well! Some are out of this world fabulous.**

**As always, I treasure every reader, reviewer, and recommendation my stories get, so let me know what you think!**

**DeJean**


	25. Chapter 25

**I do apologize for this taking so long to get out. It's a laundry list of excuses that I won't bore you with.**

**Thank you to Fran for looking over and wielding a red pen. I don't take all the changes she suggests because we agree to disagree, and I claim the errors as my own. Civilly. Like grown-ups. **

Chapter 25:

Michael Newton rode atop his fine steed, spurring it furiously in his haste to find Deputy Rupert and his intended. Neither could be found in town and their whereabouts could not be ascertained through his usual sources.

Steam rolled off the powerful beast's sweating body in the cold early afternoon air, lather spilling from its mouth. Yet the rider did not care, pushing the animal closer and closer to its breaking point. The selfish sheriff was on a mission and nothing else mattered: not the health of his horse, not the dangers of being alone in an unfriendly part of the woods, and not even the potential for an animal attack as daylight faded.

"Where are those fools?" he muttered to himself, roughly pulling on the reins as he arrived at the burned remains of Isabella and Charles' home. Neither Rupert nor Hubert had reported to work that morning and no one seemed to care where the deputies might be.

"Looks like that idiot Rupert did something right."

The sheriff dismounted and walked around the smoldering ruins, his beady eyes searching for any evidence of Deputy Rupert. The deputy had done a damn fine job destroying the house; Newton would grant him that, but there was absolutely no trace of which way he had gone after completing the job. And no evidence of his future wife could be detected.

"Where did that miserable excuse go?" he grumbled, roughly grabbing the reins of his mount and after three attempts, regaining his seat before urging the horse toward town. Surely his deputy had not taken a notion to steal away with the fair Istanbul Swan, not when he was under orders to bring her to him.

"When I find that bumbling excuse for a deputy…" Michael panted after the extreme effort he put into climbing into the saddle. "I'ma going to bury my boot so far up his ass, he's going to cough shoe leather for weeks."

"Going somewhere?"

The query came whispering through the trees from no particular direction.

Newton spun around in the saddle, wildly searching for the source of the question but to no avail. His horse felt his nervousness and began to tamp at the ground anxiously.

"Hie there," the sheriff muttered, jerking the reins once again, earning a pained whinny in response. He paused but when he heard nothing other than the muck squelching under-hoof, the sheriff roughly spurred his horse into action, but it refused to move.

The slowly accelerating crack of an ancient oak tree as it fell to the ground a short distance behind spooked the fine steed and it took off at a full gallop.

Michael wrestled with the beast, trying to force it to obey and bring it to a halt but the more he tugged on the reins, the harder it bolted. The forest hurtled past at a breakneck pace as the frightened steed dodged in and out of the trees. Choice words and threats spilled out of the mouth of the rider, spurring it on rather than calming the poor creature.

"Beast is going to hurt him," Rosalie muttered under her breath, watching from a safe distance away.

"Newton's regaining his seat," Edward replied, his eyes following the almost comical scene below as the sheriff bounced up and down, great gobs of fat wrestling with others as it tried to break free from the bindings of his too tight clothing.

Edward found himself amused at the sight, something that never would have happened before Isabella. He had always been the most serious of Carlisle's family and the notion that he would find anything comical in Sheriff Michael Newton's appearance was an unfamiliar concept.

"I meant hurt the horse." The 'you fool' went unsaid but hung in the air between them. "That idiot of a sheriff is going to harm him." She scoffed under her breath. "Newton doesn't deserve to live."

"Agreed."

After a moment's pause, Edward continued. He and Isabella had discussed this event, and she had been quite adamant in her opinion on the matter.

"I will not take your revenge from you, Rosalie."

Her amber eyes cut over to where Edward stood. Rosalie watched him closely, looking to discern whether or not he was teasing her, not that he ever had before.

"Although you want it with every fiber of your being," she finally murmured.

"Aye. I do. But Isabella believes it is your privilege, and I'll not stand in your way from obtaining it."

A thin smile tugged at her lips. She knew what he was going through. Where he once would have broken Michael Newton's neck without a second thought, now, because his Isabella had asked him not to harm the sheriff, he would let Rosalie exact her judgment. Love changed you. She had once been as harsh and cruel as he, but that was before she found Emmett.

And now he had Isabella. His beast within had met its mistress. Gladly. Happily. Wholly.

_Mine._

Edward flexed his hands, fighting the urge to bolt down the small rise where they stood and watch as the life force drained out of the miserable excuse for a human being that currently was cursing his mount so loud birds were rustled out of their roosts.

"Go to her, Edward. Emmett and Alice took her to her father. This won't take long," Rosalie assured.

A small barking laugh escaped his lips.

"Oh, he will suffer. I can promise you that."

He nodded before leaning forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Don't be long, Rosalie. I have a father-in-law to secure. If he gives his blessing, it'll be tonight."

And if Charles did not give his blessing, Isabella would still be his wife tonight.

Rosalie thought through the details of her plan; it was quick, painful, and fitting.

"It will be just fast enough."

Edward nodded before turning and running to town where his beloved had reunited with her father.

Rosalie turned toward the bumbling sheriff who continued to attempt to regain control of his horse as it bucked and turned, growing more and more agitated.

Michael Newton cursed and tugged on the reins causing the bit to cut into the horse's mouth. Rosalie had seen enough and with a growl, bolted toward them in an angry blur. With a quick motion, the buckle securing the saddle was unfastened. The next time the sheriff spurred his mount, the horse reared, throwing the overweight codfish into a muddy puddle.

Shaking his head as slime and goo dripped down his face, Michael took a quick self-assessment, checking for broken bones. One meaty hand wiped at the muck, more smearing it than removing it.

Once he assessed that his pride was hurt more than anything else, the sheriff searched for his horse only to see the beast disappear over a ridge. With a juicy curse, Newton pulled himself to his knees, succeeding after the third try.

From the still air, a lilting voice broke the silence.

_Emperor, your sword won't help you out_

_Sceptre and crown are worthless here_

_I've taken you by the hand_

_For you must come to my dance_

"Who's there?" the sheriff demanded, spinning around on his knees, grinding mud further into his soaked britches. His beady eyes desperately searched in a vain effort to ascertain the source of the singing.

The sound was beautiful, eerie, and alluring all at the same time.

He searched frantically as he tried to establish from whence it came. Scrambling from his knees to his feet, the sheriff turned in place.

The verse repeated, a little slower and a little louder.

"Show yourself!" he shouted, pulling out a pistol and waving it in the air threateningly. "I order you to show yourself! In the name of the law!"

Rosalie laughed, the bitter sound echoing in the cold air.

"The law. You know nothing of the law," she scoffed, still out of sight.

His eyes widened at the ghostly, ethereal sound of her laughter as it faded into the quickly darkening woods.

"Show. Yourself!" he shrieked, stomping one foot in a tantrum as his face flushed bright crimson.

_All around the mulberry bush_

_The monkey chased the weasel_

_The monkey stopped to pull up his socks_

Rosalie suddenly appeared in front of Sheriff Newton. She was a heavenly vision in heavy white brocade and lace. He jumped back in shock, his eyes comically wide. Catching himself, with shaky hands, the sheriff pointed his weapon at her.

_Pop! Goes the weasel!_

As she finished the children's rhyme, she took the pistol now aimed at her and bent the weapon in two.

"What…what are you?" he demanded, futilely attempting to hold the useless, shaking weapon steady.

"Your deputy, Rupert, called me _something out there_ as he tried to hide within Charles and Isabella's home before I burned it to the ground with him inside. So kind of you to provide the accelerant to send him on his way to Hell."

Rosalie curtseyed in gratitude of the sheriff's inadvertent courtesy.

"Acc… accel…" The sheriff tried to say the word he did not understand as he backed away from Rosalie.

She laughed gaily as if the two were talking about the weather or some other such nicety, swaying her hips while she fairly danced before him.

"Accelerant. The oil that caused a small hovel made of damp wood to light up the sky like a rising sun. Fitting end to a man who is no doubt roasting in the merry fires of Hell."

Rosalie appeared to pay no mind to his retreating so he widened the distance even more. She smiled a secret smile, knowing exactly what he was trying to do, but her intent was to give him just enough rope to hang himself.

Figuratively, mind you, for a rope would be too kind of an end for the good Michael Newton.

"And then your other deputy – Hubert. He visited me in what he thought was merely a pub. There he supped and drank with me. And in his gratitude, do you know what he called me?"

Michael shook his head slowly as bone-chilling dread gripped at his heart.

"Deputy Hubert called me a _demon_.Can you believe that?"

She smiled slowly, showing all of her pearly white, razor sharp teeth. The mere sight gave the sheriff a bone-rattling chill. Something about this beautiful creature in front of him spoke of danger. Newton took another step back.

"What he saw was the effects of the belladonna and his own pathetic mind playing tricks on him. I'm not a demon, now, am I?"

She paused, her face serene and angelic, matching the sweetness in her voice before continuing, not giving the sheriff time to reply.

Rosalie's posture changed as she steeled herself for what was to come. Her back stiffened, and she brought herself up to her full height, fury crackling all around her as she spoke.

"You dare." Her voice deepened as if judgment itself had been authorized to her alone.

Michael gulped, uncertain of what he was being accused.

"I dare what?" he squeaked when finally able.

"You dare bring three innocent babes into this world, and the moment their mother does something to affront you or it inconveniences you, you dispatch her and bring another woman into your house before his mother is cold in the grave!"

He shook his head in denial but Rosalie continued to enumerate the good sheriff's many sins.

"Margaret known as Maggie, aged twenty. Her son, Liam, will never know of her wit and innate ability to know when someone lied to her."

"She fell off her horse!" Michael shrieked, taking another step back as Rosalie moved even closer to him.

"Did she now? And it had nothing to do with your second wife, Tia, aged seventeen, who miraculously gave birth to Benjamin, a healthy baby boy four months after you wedded her? And don't even try to lie to say it was someone else's babe."

"I…"

"Silence, fool! And then the most recent, Jessica. Was she even fifteen when you…"

Michael covered his ears, trying to block out the accusations.

"Three wives, thrice the widower. Three beautiful babies, all healthy, all loved by their mothers. Women they will never get to know because of you!"

"I… I…"

"Do not feed me your excuses, you foul excuse for a human being!"

"I'll change! I'll repent! Anything! Just!"

In his panic, Michael tripped, falling on his ample rump.

Rosalie stood before him in stony silence, watching as he futilely tried to scramble back from her.

"I… I'll…" he stuttered, not realizing he neared the edge of a ravine.

Rosalie continued her stance, saying nothing, listening to the faint to human ears sound of a pack of wolves gathering below. Amazing how a few well-placed rabbits would cause the carnivores to gather.

"Sheriff Michael Newton, you have been found guilty of crimes too sundry to list, and for that you must pay with your life."

He shook his head furiously as a few tears ran down his splotchy cheeks.

"Please! Anything! I have money! I can…"

She scoffed at his useless attempt at bribery.

"You have nothing I could ever want. You had everything and squandered it! Wives that cared and babes that could have loved you, as worthless as you may be!"

"Mercy! Mercy, I'm begging you!"

Too late, the good sheriff realized he had climbed too far out on the precipice and under his own body weight, it began to collapse.

"Save me!" he pleaded as the dirt and rock crumbled, sending him plummeting down.

Rosalie heard the whine of a wolf in pain as Sheriff Newton landed on him, closely followed by more human cries of pain and beastly growls and snarls.

"May you burn in Hell," she murmured, not bothering to witness the carnage below before she calmly straightened her dress and headed back to town.

She had a wedding to get to, after all.

**If any of you saw my ramblings on Facebook, you'll know I did indeed sing a la Elmer Fudd "Kill tha shewif" (instead of "Kill tha wabbit") while I wrote this. It was quite therapeutic. I hope I did Newton's demise justice. And no, the wolves that did him in were not Jacob and company.**

**The first song Rosalie sings is Dance Macabre (also known as a dance of death). This one is from: **_**Totentanz**_** textbook (Anon.: Vierzeiliger oberdeutscher Totentanz, Heidelberger Blockbuch, approx. 1460).**

**One more chapter, dear readers. Isabella and Edward go to Voltemorrah to face Aro and company and meet Tanya.**

**See you in a few weeks, and I'd love to know what you think!**

**DeJean**


	26. Chapter 26

**Here we go, my friends…the end of this story.**

Chapter 26

_Clip clop. Clip clop. Clipt clop. Clip clop._

The sound of horseshoes on rock-hard packed dirt provided a monotonous soundtrack as Isabella and Edward rode in a fine chariot from their home to Volterra.

_Sounds like the chestnut has a loose nail,_ Isabella thought, noting the different sound as the four horses pulled their carriage toward Volterra.

Edward nodded in agreement. He would have the coachman check it when they stopped to water the team. Rosalie would burn him alive if he allowed one of her beloved animals to be mistreated in any way, even if it proved to be unintentional. Not that he could blame her, though. The four matched beasts provided a smooth ride and did not fear their vampire passengers.

He gazed lovingly over at his bride, still not believing she had looked beyond his beastly behavior and agreed to marry him.

After being dismissed by Rosalie as she dispatched Sheriff Newton, Edward had run to town only to discover a large crowd surrounding the jail. Fearing the worse, he pressed forward to learn the opposite was true.

Once word had spread of Charles' imprisonment, the townspeople realized enough was enough. Sheriff Newton needed to be removed from his position and a new sheriff appointed. Charles Swan was at the top of the list of eligible candidates, and the mayor's fervent pleas were seconded by those surrounding with loud huzzahs.

Charles finally agreed, with several conditions including that no harm come to the ex-sheriff. His goal was to imprison the man for the rest of his natural life. Thinking about why he was locked away, far removed from his previous, luxurious life would be punishment enough. In the end, it mattered not, for Michael Newton was never seen of again. It was as if he had disappeared in a puff of smoke.

After the hubbub and the crowd subsided, Edward watched as Isabella fussed and fretted over her father, ensuring herself no permanent harm had befallen him.

"_I am fine, daughter."_

"_And I will believe that when I have proof."_

"_Isabella…"_

"_Don't you Isabella me."_

_As she checked him over, patting his arms, checking his wrists for marks, she clucked and muttered under her breath._

"_Isabella." _

_Charles palmed her jaw, lifting her face to look at him. He studied her features, staring particularly long at a pair of ruby-red eyes._

"_Do you love him?" he murmured for her ears only (or so he thought)._

_He knew. At least he knew part of the story._

"_With all of my heart."_

"_Then it is good enough for me."_

_Charles placed a loving kiss on her forehead before standing and brushing himself off. He looked beyond her to where Edward stood waiting patiently._

"_You will protect her? Provide for her? Cherish her?"_

"_With all that I am," Edward vowed, meeting Charles' level stare with one of his own._

_Charles studied the vampire for a moment before nodding._

"_You have my blessing if you wish for it."_

"_Aye, we do," Edward said, moving forward to take Isabella's hand in his._

_Charles nodded again before Isabella threw her arms around him, earning an oof! before the hug was returned._

"_Father Carlisle will perform the ceremony whenever you desire, love," Edward murmured. "If you wish to wait, I am certain Esme and Alice and Rosalie can …"_

"_Tonight! Now! I mean…" Had she still been human, Edward was certain her cheeks would have burned red, but now, as a vampire. they barely flushed._

_He completely understood. She had opened his eyes to the pleasures of simple things, of appreciation of the minutiae that might be overlooked but ever so wondrous._

_It had been a simple ceremony with heartfelt words of love and adoration. And his mother's simple gold band fit perfectly on her left hand._

"What are you thinking about?"

Isabella looked over at her husband expectantly.

Edward smiled and raised her hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss.

"How radiant you were at our wedding."

"You flatter me, sir."

"I speak the truth."

He turned to watch the familiar hills of the Italian countryside outside Volterra pass.

"We could have run," Edward murmured.

"And missed this journey? Not for a thousand stars in the sky. I am seeing so much and enjoying it immensely!"

Isabella beamed as she shuffled in her seat to maximize her view out the carriage window. It was all so new to her, and she absorbed every detail greedily. As Volterra came into sight, her jaw dropped as magnificent buildings rose from the lush green hills.

It was more splendid than anything she had ever imagined.

"You left this for…"

She could not imagine. Then she remembered just how grumpy he was the first time they met.

"I was not grumpy," Edward groused.

Isabella turned to gaze upon his pouting face, smiling knowingly. She lightly traced one finger over his lower lip, willing it to go back. Edward lightly nipped at the tip, earning a carefree laugh.

"Perhaps a little," he finally conceded.

"It is so beautiful," she marveled. The stonework in one tower alone was more amazing than anything she had ever seen.

"I can escort you around, if you would like."

"Very much so. Thank you!" Isabella's smile caused her entire face to brighten, and her thoughts were of nothing other than how happy a tour would make her.

Edward still could not believe that that something as simple as a promised walk around Volterra could bring one such joy, but her thoughts and countenance said just that.

Bliss. Pure and simple, simple bliss.

Then he remembered another part of Volterra, the one The Guard hid from public view.

"Not all of it is beautiful."

She paused, taking in just what he meant, before nodding. She knew. Not every vampire held to the golden-eyed diet. And, just like in her hometown, not every person had plenty to eat, a warm place to sleep, and adequate clothes to wear.

A sudden clambering outside the carriage brought her attention around, and the horses swerved, and the coachman yelled at what appeared to be both man and beast. A sickening thud caused Isabella's chest to tighten, and before Edward could stop her, she was out of her seat and standing on the street.

An urchin, barely more than five years old, stood beside the carriage wheel, unharmed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for her wagon that was now smashed to kindling.

Isabella soothed the child, leaning down, whispering soft words as she stroked a tear away from a thin cheek. The child pointed to the debris, lip quivering. Her father had made that wagon for her out of scraps from his woodworking shop. She had painted it a motley array of colors, using up the drips and drops leftover from various consignments.

Ignoring the fact her gown cost more than a year's income to the family of the child, Isabella sat on the ground next to the girl, gathering the pieces of wood in her lap. She asked questions about each stick, earning a shy smile when she mentioned avoiding splinters.

Edward disembarked from the carriage, ignoring the hushed gasp that rippled through the small gathered crowd. As a member of The Guard, he was accustomed to such occurrences. Several recognized him, and quick bows and curtsies were made. Isabella was not used to the stepping-back-head-bowed-do-not-make-eye-contact-can-we-run-away attitude. She looked up at her husband, her thoughts filled with questions.

He squatted down, picking up a wheel and rolling it in his hands.

"You know," he said softly to the child, "I had a wagon just like this when I was younger."

"In pieces?" the girl sniffled.

"Yes. In pieces. I left it out in the yard and Father didn't see it. Crunch!"

The child snuggled into Isabella's side, giggling at the face Edward made.

"Let us see what can be done," he murmured, carefully taking the would-be kindling from Isabella's lap and fitting them back together.

"What's your name, child?" Isabella asked, smoothing an errant curl away from the girl's face.

"Bree, milady."

"Oh, I'm hardly a lady."

"But you have that." Bree pointed to the carriage. "And him. He's a guard. He…"

She fumbled with her words and Isabella gave her a kind smile. She understood.

_You have been recognized._

Edward nodded as he carefully pulled out a tiny nail and with the flat of his thumb, pressed it in at a new location, repairing the wagon as he went.

_Are they afraid of you?_

He shook his head, still working on the toy.

"They are afraid of going to bed hungry, of their children disappearing, of what The Guard stands for. Not of me but of the cloak I wore," Edward murmured, too softly for anyone else to hear.

_But no more?_

"No more."

Edward rolled the finished wagon, a little wobblier than it was before the carriage clipped it, but in one piece.

"Give that a go, Bree."

The child took her toy in hand and spun the wheels with a gleeful smile.

Edward stood and brushed himself off before holding one hand out to his beloved. Isabella took it and stood, shaking the dirt and dust off of her skirts.

"I do believe a fine wagon needs something, though," Edward said, rummaging in his vest pocket. He pulled out two coins and dropped them into the bed.

Bree's eyes widened as she saw the gold pieces roll around.

"You take those to your parents, yes?"

She mutely nodded before beginning to dash home. Bree stopped a few paces away before running back. She threw her arms around Edward's legs and gave him a quick hug and then disappeared into the stunned crowd.

"I believe we have been delayed long enough," Edward murmured, a strange hitch in his voice. He offered his arm to Isabella, who took it.

Soon, they were back in their carriage on their way to Volterra castle.

"That was very nice," Isabella finally said, watching her husband carefully.

"It was just two coins."

"Two coins worth more than half a year's wages."

He shrugged.

Isabella leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you."

Edward was not certain what he was being thanked for, but through her thoughts, he saw how deeply Isabella appreciated the kindness he had shown.

_And don't think I do not know what you did for Sheriff Newton's sons._

Edward shook his head. He had hoped she would approve, and her mind told her she did. Each of the boys had been placed in loving homes, all several days' journeys from their birthplace and all with barren couples, and a sizeable contribution to their living expenses had been provided from Edward's own pocket. Alice assured them all each matching was perfect and promised to watch over their futures.

The rest of the trip toward the castle was in silence, Isabella enjoying the views and Edward reveling in her unfettered thoughts about it all.

The carriage finally arrived at its destination. Isabella gasped at the line of cardinal-red cloaked vampires lining the front of the castle.

"A bit much?" Edward said with a smirk, enjoying her inner commentary.

"A bit." Isabella gathered up her belongings and tried to brush off another dirt stain from sitting on the side of the road. Now she was self-conscious of her appearance, worrying how others might take her rumpled garb.

"Isabella, put aside your concerns. We have been traveling for several days. Those that find fault in a well-earned spot of dirt are of little consequence."

_Who are you and what did you do with the Edward I first met?_

He laughed, earning more than one questioning thought from those assembled outside the carriage. No one on The Guard had ever heard Edward Anthony Masen Cullen laugh.

Ever.

"That beast is long gone. Tamed by a fair beauty." Edward took her hand and placed a kiss on her inner wrist.

Isabella attempted to hold back the snort-laugh but it proved too powerful for her, and she shook her head as she took his hand as Edward assisted her out of the carriage.

"Head high, darling," he whispered next to her ear. "You are the shiny new toy they are here to admire."

She shuddered at the thought but plastered a smile on her face as Edward took her arm and guided her into the castle and toward his chambers. There would be little time between their arrival and the ball that was being thrown in honor of the wayward son's return.

"I am requested to report to Aro immediately," Edward said once they were ensconced in his quarters.

Isabella's eyes widened at the pure opulence of her surroundings. His rooms were larger than her former home. Rich brocades, fine paintings, exquisite art pieces engulfed her senses.

"It's only stuff, Isabella. Baubles gathered by a bored man. I can have it all sold or given away if it makes you uncomfortable."

He took her hands and willed her to look at him and to see the sincerity in his eyes. She studied him for a moment and then nodded.

"It all means something to you," Isabella finally murmured. "Each piece, it has a memory."

"Some not very good," he said in agreement.

"But memories nonetheless."

"Yes."

"Then we will find a way to keep the good ones."

Edward's face shone with a smile of delight, and he quickly kissed her before heading out.

"I won't be long."

"I will see if my gown needs attention."

After Edward's departure, Isabella opened a huge wardrobe trunk. She was still not used to her strength and made every effort to be careful.

No sooner had she unlatched the locks and opened it when a flurry of pale yellow burst through the door.

"Edward?"

The frothy wisp bounced from one corner of the room to another room, calling his name in a wince-worthy tone.

"May I be of assistance?" Isabella asked, straightening to her full height.

The flurry stopped, surprised to find someone other than Edward in his chambers.

"Where did your master go?"

Isabella flinched at the sound. Surely the woman knew her voice was shrill.

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Edward. Where is he? I am certain he knew I would be waiting for his return. We need to coordinate for this evening. It would be a shame for our outfits not to complement each other's."

The woman made a great show of looking over Isabella's dress from head to toe, a sneer tugging at her features.

"Each other's?"

"Are you daft? Simple? Addled? I am speaking plainly enough for you, am I not?"

The woman huffed around the room, shaking her head in dismay.

"And you are?" Isabella asked, dearly wishing her husband would return quickly and save her from this beastly woman.

"Tanya. Surely Edward has spoken of me."

This explained everything.

"Oh, he has spoken of you."

Isabella pulled out her ball gown, a lovely, yet simple, amethyst watered silk number.

Tanya scoffed.

"He knows I do not wear purple." She patted at her strawberry blonde locks. "The color clashes horribly with my perfection."

Isabella fought back the urge to tell her that she should not wear yellow, either, but thought better of it. Instead, she gently lay the dress on the bed and turned back to face Tanya.

"That dress is not for you."

"Well, it certainly isn't for Edward."

Isabella chuckled at the notion of her husband wearing a dress as she returned to the wardrobe and unpacked further. The nonchalance of her actions irritated Tanya until she could take no more.

"I am certain Edward would not appreciate you going through the gifts he brought me."

"Gifts? For you? Oh, you are sadly mistaken there, Tanya."

Before the words were completely out of her mouth, Tanya moved to stand immediately in front of Isabella. She smiled sweetly up at the woman from Edward's past.

"Take a look for yourself."

Isabella motioned toward an engraved plate on top of the wardrobe. With a suspicious glare, Tanya peered over.

"I. M. S. C.? What the devil does that mean?"

"Isabella Marie Swan Cullen," Isabella said slowly as if speaking to a small child. Then she pointed to herself. "That would be me."

"A cousin?"

"Not hardly."

"Sister?"

Tanya's refusal to see the obvious was beginning to wear on Isabella's patience.

"Wife."

Tanya stood mutely for a moment before she burst into laughter.

"Wife," she scoffed. "That is a good joke. You almost had me." She waved a finger in mock accusation.

"It is not a joke."

Isabella turned back to her wardrobe and began rummaging through the jewelry case, taking special care to calm herself.

Tanya grabbed her arm and yanked her away.

"Listen, little girl. I don't know who you are or where you are from or how you even got into this room, but there is no way in Hell that you are married…"

"Let. Go. Of. My. Arm."

Isabella's voice was low and threatening as she pulled herself away from Tanya's grasp. Her eyes immediately darkened from red-gold to red-black as she scowled at the rude woman before her.

"You may have been Edward's past, but I am his present and future, so I would recommend you leave. Now."

Tanya blinked disbelievingly at this slip of a girl with newborn red eyes ordering her around. Did the twit honestly not know of her influence within the Volturi ranks?

"Little girl…"

Now it was Isabella's turn to get into Tanya's face.

"Isabella."

She shook her head, remembering what Alice and Rosalie had warned her about before they had parted ways.

_She feeds on attention. It is almost as necessary as blood. Take that away from her and she will shrivel like worms in the sun._

"Now go about your business and leave my husband alone."

"Or what?" Tanya was not used to people getting between her and her desires.

"Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Tanya jeered at the threat before straightening her gown.

"All right, dearie. We shall see tonight at the ball whom Edward decides to take back to his chambers."

She headed for the door, head held regally high. Tanya paused for a moment, her back still toward Isabella, and motioned at a repair in the wall.

"Do you see that?"

Silly question. Of course, Isabella could see it, but Tanya knew that.

"That is where Edward took me against the wall right before he was banished. Good memories."

And then she was gone.

Isabella unnecessarily released a breath, sitting on the edge of the bed. Whether what Tanya had said was true or not did not matter to her, but the fact remained that now Isabella would wonder at every little fault and defect in the wall, the floor, even the windowsill, if it had been caused by a tryst between her husband and the succubus.

She needed a plan. Not one to ensure Edward would stay with her. She had no doubt in her mind of his fidelity. A course of action needed to remind Tanya that the mate bond between them was permanent and infallible.

And that Edward was _hers_.

Then inspiration struck and humming a tune she quickly realized was the one Edward had played on the pump organ at Father Carlisle's church, Isabella began preparing for the ball.

~~STTBW~~

Dozens of vampires in their sumptuous finery flitted and flirted around the grand ballroom. Aro and Caius, seated on deep burgundy velvet thrones atop a dais, lorded over the festivities, nodding in approval when various guests bowed or curtsied before them. A low buzz, discussion of the latest gossip, hummed in the air.

Edward had returned with a bride in tow.

Only one person among the throng did not share the excitement of the others assembled, and she, in a luxurious gold frock, tight in the right places and just a hint too low to be respectable in others, gazed upon the masses with barely veiled contempt.

How dare they think Edward had set her aside. And from all the accounts that swirled around, they believed that mouse of a girl she had found in Edward's chambers was his new lover.

Inconceivable. Well, she would set them all straight and leave no doubt who was the object of Edward's affections.

Just before the hour struck, the majordomo pounded upon the floor with his staff to announce the arrival of the guests of honor. All eyes focused toward the door where the couple stood. Edward clad in a fine, black velvet suit with a deep cardinal undervest while Isabella was draped in heavy, amethyst watered silk.

The corner of Edward's lip twitched as he attempted to hold back the prideful grin that threatened to emerge.

_What?_

"Half admiration, half jealousy, my love," he replied to Isabella's query.

Then Edward's posture stiffened ever so slightly as he heard the thoughts of his former lover.

_Tanya?_

He nodded.

_Leave her to me. Let us go make our introductions._

Isabella gently tugged on her husband's arm, pulling him back to where he was. Edward guided her toward the dais, wondering just what his wife had in store.

A string quartet played softly from one corner of the room as Isabella and Edward wove their way through the gathered masses on their way to Caius and Aro. Edward's heels clicked together as he presented his most formal bow and Isabella curtsied sweetly at his side.

"Edward!" Aro's high-pitched voice shrilled through the air as he presented a hand.

Edward had informed Isabella of Aro's talent of reading thoughts; every memory one might have would be open to the leader by a mere touch of the hand.

"It has come to our ears that you have been quite active since you left us."

_Sent away_ came the frequent thought by those in attendance.

Edward nodded in agreement, his face blank of any emotion other than adoration for his wife.

"Come, dear boy, tell me what you have been doing," Aro continued, waving his hand once again.

Having no shame or desire to hide what had happened since he left Volterra, Edward stepped forward and took Aro's hand. For several moments, _ooh_ and _I see_ and _ahh _were all one could hear in the grand ballroom, leaving those assembled to titter and speculate just what the former member of The Guard had done while away.

"So you wish to leave us," Aro finally said, dropping Edward's hand.

A shocked rumble rippled through those assembled as they gasped and murmured among themselves at the announcement.

"If it so pleases…"

"You know it does not please me at all."

Aro's eyes narrowed as he looked upon the younger vampire. He then scanned the audience until something caught his eye. A small smile tugged at his lips before he motioned for Isabella to step forward.

Edward took her arm, holding her back, not trusting the ancient vampire.

"It will be well, Edward," Isabella murmured sweetly before placing a light kiss on his cheek.

She gathered up her skirts and stepped up on the dais.

A muffled cry of frustration arose from one corner of the crowd, and those around backed away from the culprit, one very agitated Tanya.

"Well, my dear, you are quite something," Aro said breathily.

"I am merely a small mouse among the cats, sir."

"Oh, you may be small and meek, but there is a fire in you, is there not?"

"If you say so, sir," Isabella acquiesced.

Aro studied her a moment longer.

"So, you've been coached on what to say to me."

"It was thought to be a wise thing to do."

"Fair enough."

Aro gazed over to where Tanya stood, her face screwed up in distress. He motioned for Isabella to come closer for he wanted to whisper something in her ear. When she did so, the crowd gasped at his question.

"What have you done to her?"

"I cut off her gift," Isabella said simply.

A low rumble of shocked amazement rippled through those gathered. All assembled knew of Tanya's ability to enchant any man or woman she so desired.

"You…cut off her gift?"

"She was trying to seduce my husband, sir. I could not allow that."

"And you doubt your husband's love so much…"

"Oh, no sir!" Isabella interrupted, immediately apologetic for doing so. "But she was going to try to make him jealous by throwing her wiles toward another, and we all know how well that turned out last time Edward was jealous."

"Toward another, you say?" Aro placed his elbows on the arms of his chair and templed his fingers in front of his lips, his eyes narrowing as they gazed at Tanya, who was now surrounded by Volturi guards. "And who was she aiming for?"

"You, sir."

"I see. And how did you know this?"

"I could feel her gift brush past me, sir. Master Eleazar said he thought that I was a shield. That I have a ball encircling me. I could feel something poke into the ball and guessed what it was."

Aro's eyes narrowed even more as he glared at Tanya, who did not even have the decency to look abashed at her plans. He motioned for her to be brought forward and held out one hand expectantly. Tanya's entire demeanor shifted immediately for she had no desire to have her memories read by him. Before she could turn and run, three members of the guard held her in place while another forced her arm out and Aro took her hand in his.

The look on her face was one of sheer terror as every memory she ever had was played out for Aro including the motivation behind her attempted seduction.

"We will deal with you later," Aro hissed, dismissing Tanya, who began to howl and plead for mercy to no avail.

Once the succubus was dragged from the ballroom, Aro turned back toward a horrified Isabella and a stoic Edward.

"Fear not, my child. Tanya's behavior has been accepted by the court for a long, long time. She just needs a little correction before she rejoins us. Much like your husband needed," Aro said in a remarkably soothing voice. "And that turned out rather well, I must say."

"I think so, sir," Isabella replied with a smile, stealing a quick look at her husband who seemed to be in a state of shock.

"So, enjoy your evening, and you will forgive us if we do not see you off in the morning."

Aro waved his hand dismissively, and Edward took Isabella's arm and guided her off the dais.

Dreadfully confused, Isabella looked up at her husband who quickly swept her into his arms and led her in the first steps of a lively waltz.

_What just happened?_

"Aro and Caius remain in control by carefully balancing the ingredients in this powder keg," Edward murmured, enjoying the feel of his wife in his arms.

"And?"

"And you are new and unpredictable. They would rather observe you from a distance before insisting you stay in Volterra where you might cause more harm than good. You could even potentially lure others to your way of thinking and be the end of them."

"So we can go home?"

It was almost too good to believe, and her voice reflected her disbelief.

"We can go and do anything you please."

The amazement on her face was pure and overwhelming.

"I think, what I would like tonight is to show Tanya who you take home after the ball, though perhaps another set of rooms?"

Isabella shuddered at the notion of staying one minute longer in a place where she wondered if a crack or dent in the wall was caused by natural wear and tear or amorous activities.

Edward laughed as he spun and twirled his bride around the dance floor before he once again heard his beast speak, words he did not mind at all.

_Mine._

**~STTBW~**

**So, there we are, my friends. I hope you enjoyed the final chapter of She Tames The Beast Within.**

**I would be remiss if I did not express my gratitude to Fran for volunteering to beta this work, for being a constant cheerleader, and enthusiastic promoter. Thank you.**

**To you, the reader, you have no idea how much your reviews and patience have meant to me. I'm hoping to go back and respond to a lot of the reviews, but I will probably miss many of them. Your feedback has meant the world to me. Ten thousand hugs to each and every one of you.**

**As for future plans, I am not sure where the inspiration will take me. I do not have anything lined up, but two stories ago, I thought I was done and you can see how that turned out. *grin* I may go back and re-read the prompts I did for the Twilight Twenty-Five and see if any of those light a creative fire (feel free to do the same and let me know if there's anything you'd like to see expanded).**

**Let me know what you thought of the ending!**

**Until we meet again,**

**DeJean**


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